Secrets
by ATLAsnaps-fan
Summary: Elaina is from Padraic, the largest anti-bender country in the world. When suspicions regarding her family start to arise, she must escape and hide, so she joins Prince Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation, on his quest to capture the Avatar.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK, so here's my own Avatar: the Last Airbender story. I'm really bad at explaining what something's about, so just read and tell me what you think. I do not own Avatar (I wish I did). :)**

**~*Chapter 1*~**

Elaina knew she was in danger.

As she lied in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, she sensed something was off. Wearily, she pushed herself up out of bed and sulked over to the large window on the other side of the room. Elaina pulled the curtains back, moonlight pouring and forming shadows. She stared out at the vacant courtyard and sighed.

_Nothing's wrong, _she reassured herself.

Elaina crawled back into her warm bed and closed her eyes. Right when sleep was about to pull her back, the door slowly creaked open.

Elaina's breath caught in her throat. She heard soft footsteps quickly pad over to her bed. Standing above her was her mother. She looked down at Elaina, a look on her face that Elaina couldn't decipher.

"Mother? What are you doing?"

"Shh, Elaina. We must not be heard," her mother whispered. "Now listen to me. You need to get out of here. Now."

Elaina stared back at her mother. She opened her mouth to protest, but her mother cut her off.

"Do not argue," she snapped. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Your father has upset His Majesty. Our entire family is in trouble. Your father is in jail as we speak and I have no doubt we shall be next."

"What did Father do?" Elaina exclaimed. She could picture her father in a cold jail cell, all alone and terrified.

"Don't worry about it," her mother told her. "All that matters now is that you get out of here as soon as possible. Now get out of bed and get dressed. I will pack your bag."

Elaina scrambled out of bed, tripping over some sheets as she went. She yanked open her dresser and pulled out a dark dress and leggings. Quickly and quietly, she pulled them on and pulled her dark blue, velvet cloak over. Within five minutes she and her mother had packed a bag of clothing along with some personal items.

"Let's go," her mother whispered.

The two tiptoed out of the room and down the hall, careful not to wake any of the castle's residents. Once they were outside, Elaina's mother pulled her close.

"I've had people hanging around the docks. There's a fire navy ship down there. I'm not sure whose ship it is, but I know it belongs to someone very important from the fire nation."

"Mother, everyone here hates the fire nation," Elaina whispered. After being brought up in an anti-bender country her entire life, she had come to learn that benders of the elements and her people did not mix.

"I know, but it's your only chance," she replied. "When you get to the docks, I need you to find out whose ship it is. Ask around if you need to, but don't give away your identity. When you do find out, get a job on the ship. If anyone asks what you were doing here, think of something to tell them. Do you understand, Elaina?"

Elaina gulped and nodded. "Yes, Mother."

"Good." Elaina watched as her mother's eyes began to tear up. She reached at her neck and pulled off the locket she wore. It was a silver _E _surrounded by tiny, intricate patterns that looked like delicate, silver roses. The _E _stood for Ebony, Elaina's mother's name.

"I want you to have this so you'll always remember your family and I in case we don't see each other again."

A tear rolled down Elaina's pale cheek. "Mother…"

Ebony pulled her daughter in for an embrace. "I will miss you. I'll try to find a way to get in touch with you. Go now, my dear, before it's too late."

Elaina took a step back and nodded. She began to walk into the woods but turned around to look at her mother. She gave her a weak smile. Elaina looked up at the castle for a last glance. She turned and walked into the deep forest, leaving the life she once knew for a new one.

Prince Zuko of the fire nation stood on the deck of his ship, tall and fierce, observing the land before him. The prince scowled at the dock with all its peasants. He had been in Padraic, the largest anti-bender country in the world, for the past three months searching for the Avatar. After tearing the land apart and unsuccessfully leaving without the Avatar, Zuko was ready to leave this God-forsaken place. He and his crew were stopping at a small fishing town not too far from the capital to stock up on supplies. The ship slowly pulled up to the dock and Zuko watched as his crew members scurried around, tying the ship to the dock.

"Prince Zuko."

Zuko turned at the voice of his Uncle Iroh. The short, stout man approached his nephew and stood next to him.

"I'm so relieved to finally leave this place," Prince Zuko told his uncle.

"I know you're upset about not finding the Avatar," Iroh replied. "You knew he probably wouldn't be here, too. But I really don't understand how you hate this place! It's beautiful! So many interesting people, tons of land, and great cities! The fire nation should really consider buying some land out here." Iroh snuck a glance at Zuko who was staring straight ahead. "I bet you could find a great girl out here…"

"Uncle," Zuko cut the older man off, growing more and more petulant with his uncle's optimism. "I've told you hundreds of times—I'm searching for the _Avatar_, not a _wife._ I have no time for women and their foolishness. Plus, marrying a girl from an anti-bender country would be an absolute insult to my father and people."

"You have to get married sometime!"

"Uncle Iroh!"

"Okay, okay!" Iroh tried not to laugh. Zuko always got so irritated whenever the topic of marriage was brought up. "I'm going to bed now. You should probably get some rest, too."

The prince shook his head and walked towards the ladder. "I need to get off the ship for a while. I should be back soon."

Iroh nodded. "Take your time. Don't forget we're leaving at dawn."

"I won't," Zuko replied. He jumped off the ladder onto the dock and made his way into town.

Elaina made her way out of the forest and stood on a hill above the small town below her. The town was lit up and she could hear the feint voices of people. At court, no one ever stayed out this late. Then again, Elaina had never been outside of court and really had no idea of how the commoners lived.

The small town was full of life. People walked the streets, bantering amongst themselves. Carts were lined up and loud men and women tried to sell their goods to others. Children chased one another, laughing and yelling the entire time. Elaina wanted to join in with these people and have fun like they were. More than ever, she wanted to know her family was safe and she had nothing to worry about.

An old man with his two front teeth missing sat on the side of the road, a can placed at his feet. He noticed Elaina and shook the can. It made a jingling noise when he shook it and Elaina could see a few coins bouncing around.

"Would ye be so kind to spare a coin fer me, luv? I'm very hungry."

Elaina reached into her cloak and pulled out a shiny, gold coin. The man's eyes bugged out of his head when she threw it into his can.

"Thank ye!" he exclaimed and ran down the street.

Elaina watched as the old man merrily ran and couldn't help but smile. She began to wonder what he would buy with the coin when she felt someone put their hand on her arm.

"Lady Elaina."

Elaina spun around and came face to face with a young man with short, curly, brown hair. His gray eyes were hard on her face and he seemed a bit antsy. Elaina recognized him from court. Just when she thought her heart would stop, he nodded towards a building.

"Come with me," he said. "We need to talk."

He began to walk towards the building but Elaina stayed put. When he noticed she wasn't coming with him, he sighed.

"You can trust me, okay? You're mother asked me to be here for you."

She hesitated for another moment. Then, she sighed and decided to follow him.

The building they entered turned out to be a small bar. A few people were there, quietly sipping their drinks. Elaina and the young man sat at a table in the corner of the room, far away from everyone else.

"Thirsty?" he asked Elaina.

"I don't drink," she replied.

"How about water?"

Elaina nodded and watched him walk to the bar. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Something didn't feel right about having drinks with a stranger at the moment. The man returned and gave Elaina her water. The two sipped quietly, not uttering a word. Finally, Elaina broke the silence.

"Who are you?" she quietly asked.

The man put his glass down. "Will Sydney. I work for your mother."

"What do you do for her?"

"I get information and news from court about your family. Whenever I hear something she might like to know, I tell her," Will explained.

Elaina nodded. "Now tell me this: what's going on with my family?"

Will stared back at her. "That, I'm still working on. They've kept quiet for a while. All I know is that they were starting to get suspicious of your family."

"Who is 'they'?"

"The king's advisors."

"Do you know why my father was arrested?" Elaina asked quietly.

"No. It was a surprise to me. All I know is that he did something to make His Majesty angry. There were rumors going around that it had to do with your sister."

Elaina's head shot up. "My sister?" She thought of her older sister, Perdita, the queen of Padraic.

"Yes. That is all I know," Will told her.

Elaina fell quiet for a moment. Then she remembered what her mother had told her.

"My mother said to get on some fire nation ship. Do you know anything about that?"

Will nodded. "Yes. Your mother asked me to make sure you got on the ship okay."

"What's so important about that ship anyway? Why does she want me on that one when I could get on any other ship in Padraic?"

"Tell me, Elaina. What do you know about the prince of the fire nation?"

Elaina thought for a moment. "Not much."

"Okay. Three years ago, the fire lord banished his son, Prince Zuko, from the fire nation. From what I've heard, the prince spoke out of turn at a war meeting. His punishment was to fight his father in an agni kai. He refused, though his father still attacked him and gave him a scar because of it. The fire lord then banished Zuko and told him he could only return once he'd captured the Avatar," Will explained.

"Okay. But what does that have to do with me getting on his ship?" Elaina was more confused than ever now.

"Think about it. This guy travels all over the world. If the king were to send anyone after you, the last place he would look for you would be on a fire nation ship. Besides, even if he did know you were on the ship it would be too hard to keep up with the prince and his ship."

"But how am I even going to get on the ship?" she asked.

"Make a deal with him," said Will. "Tell him if you help him capture the Avatar, you want something in return. Your mother is always telling me how you want to go to college. Ask him to get you into a college."

"Okay, but what should I tell him if he asks about my life?"

"Tell him you were born in Padraic—but don't tell him wear your really from. Say you came from a poor family who couldn't afford to get you into a good school, but you have the brains for it," said Will.

Elaina began to worry. "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you can. You have to. From what I've heard, you're one of the smartest, strongest girls at court. He'll be begging you to join him," Will said knowingly.

Elaina stared back at Will. He seemed so sure of himself and her. She sighed. "Okay. I'll do it."

Will smiled. "Your mother will be proud. Now, I saw the prince walking around earlier, so he should still be around here. If for some reason he won't take you, wait until nightfall tomorrow. I'll come back and we'll find a new way to get you out of here."

"What do I do if I get on the ship?" Elaina asked him. "How will I know what's going on here?"

"I'll write to you. Let you know what's happening." Will stood up to leave.

"Will! Wait! How will I know it's him?"

"He has a big scar on the left side of his face. His head is shaven except for a black ponytail on top. Oh, and he's wearing fire nation clothing," he told her.

"Okay, I'll remember that."

"And Elaina?"

"Yeah?"

"Put your hair up. You can't be noticed by anyone around here."

Instinctively, she ran a hand through her long, wavy, red hair.

"I'll contact you soon," Will told her and left.

Elaina sat there quietly for a moment. The world seemed to stop as the night's events swirled through her mind like a tornado. She pushed her chair away from the table and walked into the bathroom.

Once in there, she stared at her reflection. She looked the same—long, red hair, startling blue-gray eyes, and flawless skin. But on the inside, she felt like an entirely different person.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a hair tie. She pulled her hair away from her face into a neat, tight bun. With one final glance at her reflection, she left and walked out of the bathroom as an entirely different person.

Zuko pushed the door of the bar open and walked inside. The bar was just about empty except for a few old men and a bar tender. Zuko took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink.

Just then, a girl about Zuko's age, walked out of the bathroom. Zuko watched her out of the corner of his eye as she made her way over to the bar. She gave the bar tender a coin and quietly thanked him. She was about to leave when she caught a glance of Zuko. Something flashed across her face. Zuko wasn't sure which emotion it was, but he didn't like the way she was looking at him.

"Got a problem?" he asked coolly, without taking his eyes off her.

This seemed to catch her off guard. "No, not at all," she replied. She squinted as though se couldn't see the prince. "You look familiar…"

Zuko raised a brow. In his mind, he thought of where he might've run into her to make her say that. He turned his head to get a better look of her. Zuko watched as the girl's eyes went wide.

"You're the prince of the fire nation!" she exclaimed.

Zuko couldn't help but let a little smile form on his face. This girl was the first person in Padraic to actually know who he was.

"Someone's obviously been doing her homework," he replied.

The girl blushed. "You could say that."

Zuko observed the girl. She wasn't wearing the typical clothing of one of the four nations.

"Where are you from?" Zuko asked.

"Around here," she replied. "I'm trying to get out of here, though. Padraic isn't really the place for me."

"Where are you planning on going?"

"Probably the fire nation," she told him. "I heard there are some pretty good schools out there."

"True. But you'd probably have a hard time with that. Most of the fire nation can't stand people from the anti-bender countries." Zuko shrugged.

The girl sat down next to him. "You could probably help me with that."

"I hardly know you."

"What if I made you a deal? One that involves the Avatar?"

Zuko leaned forward. "I'm listening."

"You obviously want the Avatar. From what I've heard, capturing him will get you your honor back. Am I right?" she asked.

Zuko nodded.

"I'm willing to help you capture the Avatar for one thing in return: get me into the college of my choice."

Zuko leaned back. What this girl was offering stunned Zuko. No one knew where the Avatar was, nor had they seen him in a hundred years. What made her so sure she could find _and _capture the Avatar?

"I'm not sure…"

"Come on!" There was a look of determination in her blue eyes. She took a deep breath and tried again. "I can help you. I've got the brains, the agility. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't do this."

The prince sat there silently, pondering the idea of letting a girl join his crew. The girl stared at him with pleading eyes. Finally, Zuko gave in.

"Fine," he said. He watched as her eyes lit up. She was about to say something but cut her off. "One condition though. I will only get you into a school if you get me the Avatar. So if we haven't captured him by the time you're getting ready to enter college, the deal's off. No Avatar, no support from me. Got it?"

The girl nodded. "Deal. Thank you so much!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. We leave at dawn tomorrow. Don't be late. My ship is at the dock, big fire navy ship, hard to miss."

"Okay," the girl replied. She grabbed her bag and stood up.

"What's your name?" Zuko asked as she was walking towards the door.

"Elaina," she called back and left.

Zuko sat there for a few moments. _Elaina, _he thought to himself. And just like that he knew she wouldn't disappoint him.

**Thank you for reading! I'll try to get Chapter 2 up as soon as I can. Please review and tell me what you think! (: **


	2. Chapter 2

**~*Chapter 2*~**

The cool morning breeze was starting to pick up as Elaina ran through town. _Good morning for sailing, _she thought to herself. She slowed her pace down to a jog as she approached the docks. The taste of salt water settled onto Elaina's tongue and she could hear the calls of the sea gulls. The sun didn't rise for a few minutes, so she had time to spare. Finding a spot next to a few barrels, Elaina sat down.

After she had left Zuko the night before, Elaina had stopped at the market to pick up some supplies, including some old, used textbooks. She had spent the night in an abandoned alley, flipping through the pages of the books. So far she'd learned the Avatar was an airbender and over a hundred years old. The pages of the books were dog-eared after after her reading expedition. Elaina was determined to teach herself all about past Avatars and the ways of the four nations, especially the fire nation. _Might as well learn the customs of your new home, _she had thought at the time.

Home. It seemed so strange to be referring to any other place but Padraic as her home. A wave of homesickness washed over her. _Don't start this now, _she warned herself. _You haven't even left yet. _Taking a deep breath, Elaina pulled herself up and began to walk towards the ship. She was halfway there when a voice caught her by surprise.

"Elaina."

Elaina turned around and saw Elaina walking towards her. Seeing a friendly face calmed her. She greeted him with a smile.

"So we meet again," she joked.

Will smiled. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. Have you made contact with the prince?"

"I was actually on my way to his ship," she explained, nodding in the direction of the large warship. "I made a deal with him last night."

"Good. No one at court knows you're gone so you'll have time to get out of here."

"Have you heard anything new about my family?" Elaina asked him.

"Not yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear something," Will replied.

Elaina nodded. "Thank you, Will. And when you see my mother, tell her I miss her, okay?"

Will nodded. "Of course. And like I said before, I'll let you know…" Will trailed off and stared at something behind Elaina. She turned to see what it was and saw Zuko approaching them. Will began to walk away, quickly adding, "I'll contact you as soon as possible. Stay safe." And with that, he was gone.

Elaina curtsied before the prince. "Your highness."

"Who was that?" The prince was staring down the alley way that Will had just ran down.

"Just a friend," Elaina replied.

Zuko slowly nodded. "Just remember that I hired you to help me capture the Avatar. I don't tolerate with distractions or shenanigans. Understand?"

"Of course," she told him. "Absolutely no shenanigans."

Finally, Zuko looked at Elaina. "Good. Now let's get going. We have a long day ahead of us."

Elaina quietly followed him onto the ship. There were a few men on the deck of ship working when the two teenagers got up there. The men stared quizzically at the newcomer; some even raised their brows. Zuko led Elaina inside the ship before any of them could ask questions.

Zuko quickly walked down the hall, Elaina barely able to keep up with him. He pointed out a few rooms as they went.

"Right there is the weapons room. At the end of the hall is where most of our meetings take place." They went up a flight of stairs. Zuko stopped for a brief moment. "Your sleeping quarters will be on this floor. I'll have a room assigned to you later."

Elaina nodded and followed Zuko up two more flights of stairs. They entered a room that Elaina soon realized was where the steering of the ship took place. There were five other men in here: four that were sitting at a large table with a map of the four nations on it, the other, sitting in a chair reading a book. All five men looked at Zuko and Elaina, and like everyone else, looked utterly confused. One man, an old, chubby one with a long gray beard, smiled.

"Prince Zuko! Who's your friend?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

A look of annoyance and embarrassment flashed over Zuko's face. "Uncle Iroh, this is Elaina. She'll be working with us now."

This seemed to catch the other four men by surprise. They each shot a glance at each other.

Iroh, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed by this. He clasped his hands together. "Wonderful! Now Elaina, tell me, do you like jasmine tea?"

"Um, I've actually never had it before," she replied nervously.

This seemed to greatly shock Iroh. "Never had jasmine tea? Oh, my God! Well, let's go make some, shall we?" Iroh linked his arm through Elaina's and lead her out of the room. Someone closed the door behind them and soon Elaina could make out hushed, angry voices coming from behind the closed door.

Will Sydney walked down the empty halls of court, feeling a little bit relieved. He had successfully gotten Elaina onto Zuko's ship without trouble and so far no one at court realized she was gone. It would probably be at least another two hours or so before anyone got suspicious.

Coming to a door at the end of the hall, Will knocked and waited. On the other side of the door he could hear footsteps shuffling. The door cracked open a bit and Ebony stuck her head out. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her most loyal servant.

"Come in," Ebony told Will, opening the door so the man could get in. Once Will was in, she closed the door behind her and began to speak in a hushed voice.

"Is Elaina on the ship? Is she well?"

"Yes, she's safely aboard, most likely long gone by now," Will told her.

"Oh, thank God." Ebony let out a long sigh after holding her breath. "At least I have one last thing to worry about now."

The woman let out a chocked laugh. Will just stood there, unsure of what to say, staring at her. Finally, Ebony broke down to the floor and began to weep.

"Oh, God. Oh, God, Will, what am I going to do?" she cried. Will went over to her and held her hand. He gave it a squeeze.

"I swear to you, I will save your family. Do you understand?" He refused to let her break down now. Not when there could be hope.

Ebony slowly nodded. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Will."

They sat there while Ebony tried to compose herself. Will saw a painting of Ebony and her family that had been painted years before any of this had happened. Ebony was about ten years younger, looking happy and peaceful, her wavy, black hair falling down her shoulders. To her left was Perseus, her husband, looking like the strong, brave man he used to be. And at the couple's feet, their three children: Perdita, Garrett, and Elaina. All three of them were as innocent looking as ever. By looking at that picture with the three children, Will knew he would not be able to rest until the family was safe.

By mid-afternoon, Elaina had the ship mapped out and was on her way to her first meeting with Zuko. After spending the majority of the day with Iroh, Elaina had learned a few more things about Zuko. One thing was that Zuko was the older of two children. The prince had a younger sister named Azula. Iroh didn't say much about her and Elaina didn't feel the need to ask. She had a feeling she would find out later. The other thing she had learned was that Zuko was on his way to becoming a firebending prodigy.

"He's very good," Iroh had told her. "He'd be even better if he didn't get all his bending from rage. I've been trying to calm him down lately by having him meditate and drink jasmine tea. It hasn't really worked so far…"

Never in her life had Elaina seen a person bend. The people at court never allowed benders in, unless if they were a royal and were making deals or buying land. Even they weren't treated with the respect you'd give a royal! Elaina had always been taught by her school teachers that benders were nothing but filthy people that caused trouble. Now that Elaina had been on the ship, she wasn't sure if that was true anymore. These people smelled fine!

Elaina knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard Zuko say.

Elaina opened the door and walked in. There were three people in there seated at a table: Zuko and two other men she didn't recognize. She took a seat close to the prince and waited while he got some papers together.

Finally, Zuko looked at each one of them closely. Elaina fought the urge to avert her eyes from Zuko's amber ones. From his stack of papers, he pulled out a map with a bunch of little _X _marks over places. Taking a pen, he crossed off Padraic.

"Once again we've failed to find him," Zuko growled. No one in the room spoke. Zuko turned his gaze on one of the men. "Shen. You suggested Padraic."

The man swallowed. "Well, sir. I had a feeling he might be hiding somewhere no one would expect him to be. You know since it's an anti-bender country and all?"

"And what were our results?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing, sir," Shen sighed.

Zuko nodded. "Exactly. For all we know, the Avatar is getting stronger. Soon he will be undefeatable."

"Sir," said the other man. Elaina noted that this man was not as intimidated by Zuko as Shen had been.

"Yes, Akeno?"

"May I suggest we try the island of Estrada? I've heard rumors that the Avatar is training there," Akeno explained. "It's only about a hundred miles from here."

Zuko looked at the map. He frowned. "That's in the fire nation territory. My ship will not be able to enter."

"I can take a fleet of the smaller boats out there," Akeno suggested.

Zuko was quiet for a moment. Finally, he said, "Fine. Akeno, you and Elaina are in charge."

Elaina's head shot up. He was putting her in charge? This was only her first day!

The other two men seemed shocked, too. Akeno just shrugged. Shen, on the other hand, had other opinions about this.

"But, sir! She's just a girl!" Shen argued.

"And most likely more capable than you!" Zuko shot back.

"Well if she's going to be out on the mission, what am I supposed to do?"

"_You _can clean the floors. They're disgusting."

Shen's face flared red with anger. "But, sir!"

"Do not question me!" Zuko exclaimed. "You're dismissed, Shen. I've had enough with your childish whining for the day."

The room was dead silent. Shen stood up and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

"Now that that's been taken care of," Zuko muttered. He turned to Elaina. "I'm guessing you're not a bender. Are you capable of using weapons? Or hand-to-hand combat?"

Elaina thought for a moment. She had never been in a physical fight before. Though she was capable of shooting things. When she was younger, she used to sneak out with her older brother, Garrett, and hunt in the woods. "I've been hunting before," she told him. "I can shoot things from quite a distance."

"What did you use?"

"Usually a bow and arrows."

"We should have a spare set in the weapons room," Zuko said. "I want you to practice."

"Yes, sir," Elaina said.

Zuko organized his stack of papers. "Then it's settled. Akeno, you'll be in charge. I want a crew put together by tonight."

"Yes, sir," Akeno replied.

"Good. You two may go," Zuko said.

Akeno and Elaina stood to leave. Akeno was out the door when Zuko called for Elaina.

"Elaina?"

"Yes, your highness?" she asked.

Zuko walked over to her. "I usually don't do what I just did, but I have a feeling I can trust you. Don't make me change my mind."

"Of course," Elaina replied. And she wouldn't. There was no way Elaina would let him down. She needed to stay on this ship more than anything to guarantee her safety. But Elaina knew she would have problems. The way some of the other men had been treating her lately showed she was not being welcomed with open arms. As long as she could keep the prince happy, the others wouldn't matter.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, my pretties! Finally, I found time to work on the third chapter. I had tons of stuff going on this week aaaaand I started chapter 3, but didn't like where it was going, so I had to restart it. *Sigh* Well I hope you like this. It took me four and a half hours to write this and now my hand is very, very cramped up. Also, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. :) **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. If I did, it would be chaotic. There'd be unicorns flying everywhere. **

**~*Chapter 3*~**

"You requested me, Akeno?"

Elaina stood in the doorway of the older man's room. Akeno sat at a small table, papers spread out in front of him. Without looking up, he nodded.

"Yes, come in," he told her.

Elaina walked in and took a seat on the floor across from him. She waited silently while Akeno jotted some notes down. Taking off his spectacles, he looked up at Elaina.

"I wanted to go over things for the mission tomorrow. I've already given Prince Zuko my crew list, so no need for you to worry about that."

Akeno handed Elaina the piece of paper he had been writing on. Quietly, she studied it. The paper had notes on Estrada, including information about the population and the size of the island.

"We're leaving around dawn tomorrow morning," Akeno explained. "It's a twenty minute ride from our ship to the island. Once we dock, we'll split up into groups of three. Since you're new at this, you'll go with my group. Anyway, we'll search the island and question as many people as we can."

Elaina nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hopefully we'll get lucky. I have a good feeling about this island. I've been hearing all kinds of stories about Estrada in these last few months," Akeno said triumphantly. "I can't wait to bring the Avatar in chains to the prince. Imagine how big of a raise we'll get!"

Elaina smirked. "I haven't even gotten a paycheck yet. So if we do find the Avatar, I'm guessing it'll be my last."

Akeno shook his head, staring off at something in the distance. "I wouldn't count on that. I'm guessing Prince Zuko will keep you around for a while."

Elaina stared back at him. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"The prince thinks you have potential. He was telling me earlier how he thinks you'll be great for us. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept you around when he returns to the fire nation."

Elaina blushed. It was only her first day and Prince Zuko was already considering promoting her?

"I'm not going to lie to you, Elaina, but most of the crew is not happy about the prince hiring you. Not at all."

Elaina looked up at the older man. He looked very serious.

"That may be the case," she replied. "But I've always lived life by not caring what others think. So why should I let a few jealous men stop me from achieving my goals?"

"And what might those goals be?"

"Well, capturing the Avatar is definitely one of them. Also, Prince Zuko promised getting me into the school of my choice. To be honest with you, Akeno, I have many. And like I said—a few jealous men will not get in my way." She shrugged and waited for his answer.

Akeno stared at her. For a moment, Elaina feared that he had realized who she actually was. That fear left when Akeno nodded. "I suppose that's a good motto to live by. All I'm going to say is to be careful."

Elaina nodded and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry. You have nothing to worry about." She stood and walked to the doorway. "Goodnight, Akeno."

"Goodnight," he murmured back.

Elaina immediately went back to her room. She sat down on her bed, her hands resting in her lap. The last few minutes with Akeno flashed back through her head. For a moment, Elaina wondered if that had actually been her. She had seemed so different back there. Maybe she was just a poor girl from Padraic that had joined the fire prince to capture the Avatar. Maybe she _wasn't _the girl who was the sister of the queen of Padraic and was running from that country for unknown reasons. Whatever the reason was, Elaina felt that all this was getting to her head. Suddenly she _did _want to capture the Avatar and have the prince praise her. She wanted it with all her heart. It practically made her heart ache.

_Then capture the Avatar. Win Zuko's praise_, a girl's voice that Elaina didn't recognize said. _Do what _you _want. _

It was official, Elaina decided. She _would _do what she wanted.

Zuko stared out at the horizon from his ship. In front of him, he could make out the island of Estrada. It was barely visible in the morning fog, but the prince could see the mountains. When he was younger, he and his family had gone there on vacation. That was back in the old days when he could actually consider his family a _family. _Sighing, Zuko pushed all those memories to the back of his head. It was easier to not think of the past. It made his life much less painful.

The crew was beginning to unload the smaller ships into the water. Waves rocked the small boats, water softly splashing against their sides. The young prince watched his crew members climb down the ladder of the larger ship and onto the smaller boats.

Zuko knew it would be a long day for him. He would grow antsy from not knowing whether the crew had captured the Avatar or not. Every so often, Zuko wondered if the mysterious Avatar actually _was _hiding in the fire nation and somehow his father knew. By banishing Zuko from the fire nation, Ozai must know his son would never be able to return then. As soon as the thought had come to him, Zuko shook his head.

_No! _he yelled at himself. _He wants you back. He does. _

Zuko's train of thought was interrupted by Akeno.

"Prince Zuko, we're leaving now. If we do find him, we'll send someone back to let you know in advance," the older man said.

Zuko nodded. "Very well. I'll see you soon, Akeno."

Akeno bowed and made his way down the ladder. Zuko spotted Elaina as she made her way out of the ship. He walked over to her.

"Remember, stay with Akeno. He'll help you with anything you might have questions on."

The girl nodded and adjusted the sheath of arrows on her back. "Got it."

Zuko stared at her a moment longer. Something seemed off about him sending this girl off, unsupervised, with the rest of his crew. For a brief second, he considered having her stay and have Shen go instead. Finally, Zuko decided against it. If she claimed to be good and capable of this, then he believed her. _She _was the one getting herself into this.

"Well, I better get going," Elaina said. Zuko nodded and watched as she climbed down the ladder and onto the boat. With a final gesture, Zuko sent the fleet off.

The boats were soon far from the ship and small objects in the distance. When he couldn't see them any longer, the prince turned around and ran into Shen.

"My apologies, sir," Shen said bowing.

"Shen," Zuko said quietly. He turned to walk away.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

There was something cold in Shen's voice. Zuko turned to stare at him. Shen stood with his arms crossed, staring in the direction of the fleet.

Zuko was quiet. Finally, he said, "Stay away from her, Shen."

Without taking his eyes off of the island, Shen replied, "You have nothing to worry about."

Elaina tried not to lose her balance as the boat bounced through the morning waves. They were getting closer to the island. The air around them was cold; a sure sign that winter was not far. Elaina shivered at the thought. She had a pretty good feeling that winters spent on the ocean were probably brutal.

Elaina went inside where Akeno and the other men were. There were seven other men Elaina was on the boat with—all of whom were benders. Elaina felt so out of place with everyone she was working with now. They were all benders—even the cook! If they didn't like her earlier for being hired and promoted so quickly then they definitely didn't like her now.

Elaina stood at the back of the room, trying to go unnoticed—which wasn't too hard since no one paid any attention to her, anyway. She listened while Akeno went over the plan with the others.

"When we get there, we'll dock on the beach and split up into our groups. We'll take the middle of the island while the others take the sides. Once we get through the jungle, there's a village about five miles in," Akeno explained.

One of the men spoke up. "What will we do with the villagers?"

Akeno shrugged. "We'll just get any information we can from them. If we're lucky, we could probably recruit some to help find the Avatar."

The man scoffed. "What makes you think they'll help us? I don't trust these people. I say we make a new plan to get what we want. Anyone who doesn't give us the information we want should be arrested and forced to face the consequences!"

"What makes you think they won't help us? You've never met them."

Everyone turned to stare at Elaina. She shrugged. "I mean, they're part of the fire nation and all."

"They could be traitors!" The man scowled at Elaina. "They're probably against the war and will rebel against us when we arrive."

Elaina rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help the fire nation."

"What would you know about it?" he demanded. "You're from Padraic. For all we know, you could be a spy!"

"And for all we know, _you _could be the traitor of the fire nation!" Elaina snapped back.

"Enough!" Akeno roared. He stood between the two of them, his face red from frustration. "We have a job to do here! So I suggest that the two of you grow up or you can swim back to the ship!"

Nobody spoke. Elaina and the man sent daggers at one another, refusing to look away from the other. Finally, the man smirked.

"You know, I really shouldn't waste my time with you," he said calmly. "Once the prince sees what a pathetic excuse of a fighter you are, he'll tire of you. You'll see."

Elaina could feel her face getting hot. Everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to crack. _If you let them see you weak, you'll never be respected._ Once she gained her composure, she stood straight up and tilted her head. She narrowed her eyes and made her voice icy cold. "Don't get your hopes up."

Elaina and the other men jumped into the shallow water. The freezing water seeped into her shoes and made her shiver.

Akeno followed Elaina onto the sandy beach. He noticed Elaina's eyes were narrowed. He followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at Fenyang, the man she'd fought with earlier. Akeno frowned.

"That wasn't very smart back there," he said to her.

Elaina didn't take her eyes off Fenyang. "I told you yesterday—I'm not letting them get in my way. Besides, he was totally out of line."

Akeno laughed. "Out of line?"

"A respectable man would not be so rude," Elaina said to him. "Therefore, I have no respect for him."

Akeno shook his head. "You need to remember that you're dealing with fire nation men. They never let someone mess with their pride. Especially a woman. I don't know what men were like back in Padraic, but you need to be more careful with what you say."

Elaina was quiet for a while. There was no way she would get along with Fenyang, especially after the way he had treated her. But instinct told her to listen to Akeno. He was right—she did need to stay out of trouble. If she got kicked off the ship, she'd have nowhere to go and no way of contacting Will.

_Will. _She had nearly forgotten about her mother's loyal servant. A wave of homesickness washed over her. Finally, she nodded.

"Fine. But don't count on me worshipping the ground he walks on," she growled.

"I wasn't counting on it," Akeno replied.

The two met up with the rest of their group. Some of the men stared at Elaina, still surprised by how she had acted earlier. Akeno started walking into the thick jungle.

"Let's go," he called over his shoulder.

The group had been walking for over an hour. Elaina was thankful her feet hadn't begun to ache. Her shoes were still soaked from the water and made it hard to walk. She was starting to consider taking them off when Akeno stopped.

He held up a hand, a sign for the group to be quiet. Everyone starined to hear what Akeno was listening to. Elaina was about to ask what they were listening to when she heard it.

At first it was barely audible. The sound grew louder every second. It sounded like someone was running through the underbrush. The footsteps grew louder and louder. The men all took up a fighting stance, prepared to shoot a massive amount of fire at any given moment. Elaina pulled out her bow and loaded it with an arrow, her knees shaking. Finally, a man dressed in tattered, red clothing burst through the underbrush. Before anyone had time to react, he produced a dangerous fire whip. The man sent it towards them. Elaina jumped back but not quickly enough. She felt the fire scorch the top of her arm and gasped. The pain was unbearable. She dropped to her knees and gripped her arm.

The other men sent balls of fire at the attacker. More fire nation soldiers burst through the forest, joining the fight. The attacker was quick, dodging the fire they threw at him. Akeno was yelling at him to stop, threatening to have him arrested and tortured. Suddenly, the attacker got behind Akeno. Elaina watched in horror as the man pulled a knife from his belt and held it to Akeno's neck. Everyone froze.

"I'll kill him!" the deranged man yelled. "I'll slit his throat!" 

The men gave each other worried glances. If they bended at him, he would surely slit the man's throat. One of them spoke up.

"What do you want?" he asked slowly.

The attacker gave him a sly smile. "You should know."

Nobody said a word. The man let out an exasperated sigh. "You wretched people are here on my island, no doubt going to cause trouble. You're probably looking for the Avatar or something. Well you know what? The damned fellow ain't here. He hasn't been around in over a hundred years!"

One of the soldiers nodded. "That's true. But we promise you no harm if you just let him go…"

The man cackled. "No harm? Ha! The moment I let go, you'll fry me!"

Fenyang spoke up this time. "Oh, we've got other things in store for you. You're a traitor and for that you'll face the fire lord's wrath!"

The man smiled and pressed the knife even harder against Akeno's neck. He gasped and Elaina could see a faint, crimson line forming where the knife was digging into his skin. They were getting nowhere, Elaina realized. If they didn't act soon, Akeno would be dead.

The attacker began rambling on about something that had to do with the war. Akeno's eyes were darting around. They met with Elaina's. Then, he looked down. Elaina followed his gaze and saw him looking at her bow which she had dropped when she got burned. Her bow…. Of course!

Quickly, Elaina grabbed it and crawled back a few feet so the man wouldn't notice her. She covertly pulled an arrow from her sheath. Begging her hands to stop shaking, she pulled back.

The man realized he had them where he wanted them. Right when he was getting ready to slit the man's throat, he heard a whistling noise.

"Owwwww!" the man cried out. Akeno acted quickly. He pulled the man's arm off him, turned around, and punched him square in the jaw.

The other soldiers watched in shock. One minute this crazy man had their leader with a knife pressed to his throat, the next, he was on the ground with an arrow in his leg. Their eyes moved in the direction the arrow had come from. Sitting on the ground, her bow still positioned in her hands, was Elaina.

Two soldiers grabbed the attacker and bound his hands behind his back with rope. Akeno rubbed the area on his neck that had been cut. He scowled at the man.

"Sir," one of the soldiers said, walking up to him. "Are you okay?"

Akeno nodded. "I'm fine." He turned to Elaina who was still on the ground. She shrugged as if saving him was no big deal.

"What should we do with him?" the soldier asked.

Akeno thought for a moment. "Take him as our prisoner. Oh, and leave the arrow in his leg."

The soldier nodded. Akeno turned to face the other men. They all stared, unsure of what to do or say. Akeno sighed.

"Let's finish searching the island. We still have time before it gets dark."

The sky was pitch black when Elaina and the rest of the crew returned. They had unsuccessfully left without the Avatar and it was definitely bothering Akeno. He had been so sure they would find him. Elaina pitied the man. First, he nearly gets killed. Now he had to return to Prince Zuko empty handed.

Zuko was waiting for them when they returned. He looked utterly confused when he saw Akeno's attacker being dragged onto the ship, the arrow still in his leg.

"That's not him, is it?" the prince asked.

"No," one of the soldiers said tiredly.

Zuko's expression turned angry. He turned to Akeno who wore a defeated expression.

"I'm sorry, sir," Akeno sighed. "I was so sure he would be there…"

Zuko sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into Estrada. I had a feeling he wouldn't be there."

Akeno and Elaina were quiet. Zuko turned to Elaina. "And how'd you do?" he asked.

Before she could answer, Akeno cut her off. "She's good, sir. Very good. She saved my life." Akeno turned to Elaina and bowed. "Thank you."

Akeno left the two and went inside. Elaina turned back to Zuko. He looked… impressed.

"Good job, Elaina," Zuko said. "I knew I could count on you to do something productive."

Elaina couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

Zuko shrugged. "You've made it clear that you're capable of handling this. Which is why I'm putting you in charge of the next mission."

Elaina's eyes widened. "Really?"

Zuko smirked. "Have a place picked out soon. Let me know when you make up your mind."

The prince turned and went inside. Elaina stood on the deck, not able to believe her luck.

Zuko was preparing to go to bed when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He sighed. It seemed like he never had a spare minute to himself. Finally, he walked open to the door and opened it.

Elaina stood on the other side, a piece of paper in her hand. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry to bother you, Prince Zuko, but I chose a place and thought I should let you know," she explained. She handed Zuko the folded piece of paper and took a few steps back. "Good night."

Zuko wordlessly watched her walk down the hall. There was something about that girl. He couldn't explain what it was but it kept him wondering… and slightly amused.

Closing the door behind him, he went over to his bed and sat down. Slowly, he opened the folded paper. There were three words neatly printed:

_Southern Water Tribe_

**A/N: Oooohhh, they're going to the Southern Water Tribe. Count on seeing some familiar faces in the next two chapters or so. :) Also, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll try to update. So press that pretty, little review button and make my day. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, let me just start by saying that I am **_**really **_**sorry it's been like a month since my last update. I know I said I would update soon… haha, yeah, that didn't happen. But then again you guys didn't review and it made me sad :( *Sigh* Oh well. You can always make me happy by reviewing this chapter. :) Enjoy, my lovlies!**

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I do, however, own Elaina, Will, Akeno, and any other characters that weren't on the show. They're mine. Not yours. Mine… **

**~*Chapter 4*~**

Elaina's weary eyes slowly opened. It was early morning, the sun still not out. She sighed and rolled over, pulling the soft linens up to her chin. Her eyes wandered across the room. It was a large room with big windows that faced the courtyard and mahogany furniture filled the room.

Elaina paused for a moment. Windows that faced the courtyard? Mahogany furniture? She sat up and realized she was no longer on Zuko's ship. She was back at court in her bedroom.

"What the…?" she said to herself. Millions of questions went through her head at once. Had someone taken her back to court? Had Zuko and everything else been a dream? Although she was glad to be home, Elaina desperately hoped Zuko hadn't been fake. Deciding to find out for herself she grabbed her robe and left the room.

The hallway was deserted. Elaina opened a few bedroom doors but the rooms were vacant.

_'How odd,' _she thought. There was always _someone _around.

All of a sudden, the air around her dropped at least ten degrees. Elaina shivered and pulled her robe tighter around her. When she finally reached the end of the hall and was standing at the top of the staircase, Elaina noticed a young maid. The girl was standing at the bottom, her back facing Elaina.

"Excuse me?" Elaina called out. "Where is everyone?"

The girl remained silent. Elaina grew impatient.

"I'm talking to you. Look at me!"

But the girl did nothing. Instead, she ran down a different hallway.

"Hey!" Elaina ran after her. The maid was fast and Elaina was afraid she'd lose her. Finally, the girl ran into a room, shutting the door behind her.

"You ought to learn some respect!" Elaina hissed as she ran into the room. Abruptly, she stopped. "Oh."

An old woman sat in a chair next to a fire. She had a secretive look in her eyes. Elaina blushed.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "There was this servant girl…"

The old woman smiled. "No worries. I've been expecting you."

Elaina's brows shot up. "Me?"

The woman nodded. "I've been meaning to contact you sooner. Your family's in grave danger."

"I've kind of figured that out by now," she replied.

The woman's face grew serious. "People have been keeping the reason from you."

"Yes. No one has told me why we're in trouble. Do you know?"

She nodded. "I do. A lot of the reasons have to do with the queen."

Elaina's eyes widened. "Perdita? I thought my father caused the trouble."

"Yes, he has, too. But Perdita got herself into this mess."

The door opened and in came the queen, Perdita, herself. She was wearing an emerald green dress with a low cut, along with matching jewels. Her long, brown hair was pushed behind her ears. On top of her head was her crown. Elaina noticed that her sister's emerald green eyes were glassy.

"Perdita?" Elaina choked on her sister's name. Perdita didn't move at the sound of her sister's voice. "Perdita, it's me, Elaina. Your sister."

But the glassy look did not leave her sister's eyes. Elaina turned back to the woman, frantic.

"What have you done to her?"

"Relax, child. It's not really your sister. Just a mere replica. Your real sister is being kept prisoner at the palace jail."

Elaina grew cold. "What?"

The woman stared at her. "Perdita was arrested for committing adultery with another man. The king had her locked up a few days ago."

"Adultery? No way. And how does that go along with my father upsetting the king?"

"After Perdita's scandals were revealed, the king was furious. He wanted your entire family hung. But your father did not want to lose the precious power he held at court. So he made the king a deal: divorce Perdita and marry you instead."

Elaina stared at the woman while the words sunk in. Her father offered her for marriage? _To the king? _She was starting to feel woozy.

The woman was quiet. She sat in her chair, her hands folded in her lap. She waited for Elaina to reply.

"Me? _Queen?"_ Elaina finally squeaked out.

"It would not be that bad of a life, you know. Luxury. Power. A girl would kill to be queen."

"But I would be going against my sister… and possibly getting her killed."

The woman snorted. "The king just wants a divorce—''

Elaina's head shot up. "Oh, come _on! _You know what happens to Padraic queens when they do things that upset the kings! Shall we count how many have _lost their heads_?"

The room was dead silent. Elaina could feel her heart beating in her chest. "I have no desire to be queen," she said coldly. "The only queen I recognize would be my sister."

The woman said nothing. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke.

"Fine. I just hope you know what you're missing out on."

Before she could reply, the room vanished and Elaina woke up for the second time. Only this time she was back on the ship.

Zuko watched as the sun was rising. He sat on the deck of the ship, cross-legged, breathing slowly. Ever since the previous night, he had had one thing on his mind: who exactly was Elaina? All he knew about her was that she was a peasant girl from Padraic that knew how to fight and wanted to go to college. And that was hardly anything.

Zuko's thought about the last few days. He and Elaina hadn't talked much and when they did it was about the Avatar. Zuko felt confused by his infatuation with this mysterious girl. Never before had he been so interested in something besides the Avatar. For a mere instant, the prince thought he might have _feelings _for the girl. As soon as they had come, Zuko banished them from his mind. _No way, _he thought. _She works for you _and _she's just a peasant. _A part of Zuko thought otherwise.

Zuko turned around when he heard someone open the door and out came the very he'd just been thinking of. Elaina looked as though she hadn't gotten any sleep. Her usually perfect bun was messy with strands falling out and she had dark circles under her eyes. She was surprised when she saw Zuko.

"Oh, hi." Elaina had a look in her eyes that said her thoughts were elsewhere.

The prince nodded in reply. He motioned for her to take a seat next to him. She sat.

The two were quiet for a moment, observing the water in front of them. Zuko watched her out of the corner of his eye. She chewed her lip, obviously anxious about something. The prince suddenly felt the urge to say something, anything.

"The weather's nice," he said, then mentally slapped himself.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I guess."

Neither one of them said anything. Zuko found the silence awkward but did not know how to fill the empty void. The weather was obviously the only boring thing he could think of…. He was thankful when his uncle came out on deck and joined them.

Iroh yawned and stretched his arms. "I had quite a dream last night. Prince Zuko, you turned into a tea pot!"

"Oh, jeez," the prince muttered. An image of a teapot spewing fire entered his head.

"And Elaina was queen of the teapots!"

Elaina's head shot up. There was an unsettled looked in her eyes. She let out a strangled laugh.

"I just remembered I have to be somewhere," she said quickly. Zuko watched as she ran back inside the ship.

Iroh noticed his nephew staring at the door. He smiled.

"So, Zuko. What do you think of Elaina?" Iroh asked innocently.

"What do you mean?" Zuko didn't take his eyes off the door.

"Oh, I don't know. She's very pretty…"

Zuko gawked at his uncle, his cheeks turning bright pink. "Uncle Iroh! She freaking works for me!"

Iroh chuckled. "Settle down. I was just stating a fact."

Zuko growled. He stood up and headed for the door. "You're so annoying," he called over his shoulder.

Iroh laughed and shook his head. _Teens!_

Iroh and Elaina sat on the floor, a teapot in front of them. Elaina was on her break and Iroh had invited her to enjoy a nice cup of jasmine tea with him. She sipped quietly and listened to Iroh talk about the time he'd visited a small water tribe island. There was something about Iroh's voice that made her feel safe. All morning she had been nervous, the dream from the previous night still on her mind. The old woman's words haunted her: _So he made the king a deal: divorce Perdita and marry you instead._

"So tell me what life in Padraic was like." Iroh's voice interrupted her thoughts. She felt her heart quicken. What was she supposed to say?

"Well," she started, "it had its ups and downs. I had a lot of friends there and knew people I liked to stay away from. I guess it was kind of like the fire nation… except people didn't shoot fire out of their hands."

Iroh laughed. "How was it similar?"

Elaina paused. Random facts she'd learned about the fire nation from the textbooks she'd read whirred through her mind. _They're both run by monarchs. They have a strong military. _Then the real answer came to her: it was the people.

"Everyone wants some type of power, especially those at court. I've seen people rise and I've seen people fall. They'll do anything to ensure that power and will especially do anything to be close to the king." Elaina chose her words carefully making sure she did not give too much away.

Iroh nodded. For a while he was silent and Elaina was afraid she might have offended him by comparing the fire nation people to the power-hungry people of Padraic.

"That reminds me of my younger brother, the fire lord."

Elaina let the words sink in. As soon as they had, she found herself shocked. "Wait, _younger_? I thought the older sibling took the throne," she exclaimed.

"That's true. I was next in line for the throne. But after I failed to capture Ba Sing Se and lost my son—'' he choked on the last word. He composed himself and started again. "I did not want to lead the nation, nor did they want me to lead. I had failed them."

"But wouldn't your father have a say in it?"

"By then my father had passed on and I was still in Ba Sing Se when Ozai declared himself fire lord."

"Were you angry Ozai had taken your spot?" Elaina asked.

Iroh thought for a moment. "No. I was actually relieved."

Neither said anything else and finished the last of their tea.

The basement of the ship was crowded with the crew members. The men sat around a table playing Pai Sho while others bantered with one another. Elaina sat in the corner reading one of her textbooks in the candle light. She was currently studying a past Avatar, a female named Kyoshi. Elaina was so immersed in the woman's story, she didn't hear Akeno approach.

"Mail," he said. Elaina jumped at the sound of his voice. Her textbook fell out of her lap. She reached for it but Akeno beat her to it. He read the cover aloud. "_Lives of Past Avatars_." Akeno snorted. "I swear Elaina, everytime I see you, your nose is in one of these books. Don't you do anything besides read?"

"I have to study if I want to get into a good school." She tried to snatch her book back but Akeno held it out of reach.

"What's the magic word?" he teased.

"Please," she growled. He tossed her the book and took a seat next to her.

"Like I was saying, the messenger hawk brought our mail. Someone sent you a letter."

Elaina snatched the scroll out of his hand. She tore the ribbon off and unrolled the letter. A wave of relief washed over her. It was from Will. Hungrily, her eyes took in every precious word.

_Dear Elaina, _

_ I hope you are well. Your mother and I are worried sick about you. Court has become chaotic. Your "disappearance" has put everyone into a frenzy and the army is looking all over Padraic for you. Do not worry. No one knows your true whereabouts except your mother and me. _

_ I have recently learned what made the king so upset. Her highness had an affair with some man whose name I've not yet learned. The king has already signed the divorce papers. When your father found out about this, he offered the king your hand in marriage. The king was furious with your father. He said he wanted nothing to do with your family. Some of his advisors told him that your father knew of the affair and that's why he has him locked up right now. That is all I know._

_ I will stay in touch with you and continue to give you updates. I wish you and your family well. _

_ Yours truly, _

_ Will Sydney_

Elaina read the letter over and over again. So it was true. She _had _been offered up for marriage. Elaina wasn't surprised by her father's actions. He had encouraged Perdita to woe the king and he'd always been talking about getting the family more power.

Elaina found herself growing angry. The fact that her father was treating her and Perdita like animals made her want to explode. He should be _helping _Perdita, not trying to get Elaina on the throne!

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming against the wall. She looked up. One of the men was standing at the top of the staircase, panting.

"Come, quick!" he said breathlessly. "We've found him!"

Prince Zuko heard the crew walk up behind him. A few gasps escaped some of the men's mouths. He couldn't blame them—it was quite a sight. A light beam that was at least fifteen miles away, if not more, had shot up from the water and into the clouds. The bright light continued to shine.

Elaina stood next to Zuko, amazed by the light. "Is it him?" she murmured, her eyes stuck to the light.

"Most definitely," he replied.

Zuko turned to face his crew. They were quiet while they waited for him to give out orders.

"Set a course for the light. We're not letting him get away."

The men went off in different directions. Zuko, Elaina, and Iroh remained where they were.

"Finally," Zuko sighed. He turned to Elaina. "I owe you. You haven't let me down once these last few days. We will go down as legends in fire nation history!"

"I'm glad you're so happy. And you'll be the one to go down in history, Prince Zuko. I just told you where to go. You'll be the one capturing him."

She smiled at him. Zuko shivered. She had a haunting smile. All of a sudden, he felt embarrassed, as though he had said his thoughts aloud. As thought she could sense his discomfort, Elaina nodded and left. Zuko stood there, confused by what had just happened.

Zuko was startled out of his thoughts by his uncle, who had cleared his throat. Zuko had almost forgotten that Iroh was standing there. His uncle's face was serious although there was a hint of a twinkle in his eyes.

"You should go prepare yourself, Prince Zuko. I suggest you meditate. This is going to be quite a battle," Iroh said.

Zuko nodded and headed inside. He definitely needed to clear his mind. Two things had Zuko on edge: the Avatar and the mysterious Elaina.

**A/N: Ooooh, bet you didn't see that coming at the beginning. Well, you might've. I don't know. And Zuko might have feelings for a certain girl on the ship who isn't what she says she is. I wonder who that could be…. Also expect to see some very familiar faces in the next chapter… :)**

**Please read and review. I'll love you forever. I'll even mention you in the next chapter! Also, please give me any advice you might have so I can have my story live up to its greatest potential.**

**One last thing. I don't know if anyone has noticed but the story kind of has a Tudor theme to it (you know, the Tudor dynasty, ruled England back in the 1500s and what not, was made into a hit show, yada, yada, yada). Just thought I'd mention it. Two characters in here represent the Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. I wonder who…**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: OK, let me start by apologizing. I am so very sorry to all my dedicated readers for making you wait for over three months for this chapter. I started writing it and didn't like where it was going, so I tried to rewrite it again and again. The problem was that when I started writing my story, I really had no idea where it was going and so far the main plot of it has changed at least three times. There was also the problem that I suffered from some serious writer's block. Because of it, I didn't feel motivated to write and kept making excuses for why I was putting it off. I did have some reasons though. Right when I started writing it, a bunch of things came up: spring break, cheer tryouts (which was the MOST STRESSFUL thing I have ever gone through), finals, trying to fix my math grade because my teacher lost all my assignments, summer homework for Honors English, cheer practice, soccer… Yeah, I've been busy. But I went on vacation a few days ago, found my spark, and finished the chapter. I now have a better idea of what's going on and what will happen. I'm also going to start the next chapter after I finish typing it and hopefully I can get it done before I go to cheer camp. Now that I've probably bored you all to tears, I'll wrap up my A/N.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar world. I do own Padraic. Haha, suckers.**

**~*Chapter 5*~**

An hour after Zuko had spotted the light, Elaina stood on the deck with a bow in her hands. In front of her a target had been set up for her to practice her shooting skills. Taking a deep breath, she eyed the bull's eye and let the arrow loose. The arrow flew through the air and made its mark. Elaina sighed—she was less than an inch off.

"You know, if you raised your bow a bit you'd have that."

Elaina turned around. Prince Zuko leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. _'Was he watching me?' _Elaina wondered.

"I didn't hear you come out, your Highness. How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

Zuko shrugged. "Long enough."

Zuko pushed off the wall and walked over to her, taking the bow from her hands. He bent down and pulled an arrow out of her sheath. "When I was younger, I used to shoot at apples. I'd line them up and see how far away I could shoot at one," he told her as he loaded the bow. He raised it and aimed at the target. "Though, I always lit my arrows on fire." He released and Elaina watched as it sailed through the air. To her surprise, the arrow hit the target dead center.

"How did you…?" Elaina asked, unable to take her eyes off the target.

Zuko handed her the bow. "Just lift it a bit higher."

Elaina nodded and loaded the bow again. She turned to Zuko. "Like this?"

The prince nodded in approval. Elaina turned back to her target and pulled her arm back. She released. To her disappointment, the arrow landed right outside the bull's eye. _'Well this is embarrassing…' _she thought.

Zuko was quiet for a moment. "Here," he said finally. Elaina froze as he moved behind her and placed his hands over hers. His breath was hot against her ear as he spoke. "Just lift your bow a bit higher."

One problem… Elaina couldn't move. The moment Zuko's skin had made contact with hers, her brain seemed to shut off. This confused her. She didn't _like _Zuko that way and she certainly wasn't afraid of him. She also didn't mind that his hands were on hers… it was actually quite enjoyable. Then what was it?

_'Ponder over it later,' _her conscience told her. _'Worry about the shooting target now.'_

Slowly, she pulled her arm back. Zuko gave it a little tug. "Just a bit further back," he murmured. Elaina nodded and pulled back further. When she thought the string was going to snap, Elaina released.

Time seemed to slow down as the arrow soared through the air. Elaina's breath caught as she waited for the arrow to leave its mark. After what seemed to be eternity, the arrow landed dead center in the bull's eye.

The two were quiet for a moment, neither making a move to let go of the other. Elaina turned her head so that Zuko's nose rested against her cheek. "Did I do well?" she asked. Slowly, Zuko nodded. Elaina moved away from him to retrieve her arrow. When she turned around, she saw that the prince was standing with his hands placed awkwardly at his sides. She bowed and gave him a polite smile. "Thank you, your Majesty."

Zuko seemed to snap out of his daze. He shrugged. "No problem."

Elaina nodded and walked back inside the ship.

Iroh stood in the control room, staring out the window. He had just witnessed Zuko and Elaina's archery lesson. The old man smiled to himself. Ever since Zuko had brought Elaina onto the ship, Iroh knew Zuko had feelings for the girl. And who could blame him? She was clever, witty, athletic, and gorgeous. Compared to most women from the fire nation, she was very exotic, not only with her looks but also with the way she behaved.

Elaina was not afraid to speak her mind when she didn't approve of something… which was often. Some of the crew members respected her for it while others did not. The ones who did not approve were constantly arguing with her, especially Shen. The two would go at it for hours at a time, bickering over everything. When it got especially heated, Iroh sometimes had to get involved.

Iroh was pulled out of his trance by one of the soldiers.

"We should arrive at the Southern Water Tribe within the hour, sir," the soldier told him.

Iroh nodded. "Thank you. I will tell my nephew."

He left the control room and headed for Zuko's room. He found Zuko and four other servants. The prince was clad in the fire nation armor. One of the servants carefully put his helmet on over his head.

"We should be there in an hour," Iroh said. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes." Zuko motioned for the servants to leave. They all bowed and left, closing the door behind them.

Iroh looked over Zuko. "How do you feel?"

The prince thought for a moment. "Nervous. Anxious. Ready to go back home."

"Now, Prince Zuko, we're not entirely sure if it's him or not…"

"I know it's him, Uncle. I'm positive."

"But what if-''

"Enough with the 'ifs'. I'm already stressed out enough as it is," Zuko snapped.

Iroh frowned. "My apologies."

Zuko turned away from his uncle. "I need to meditate. Can you leave?"

"Of course," Iroh said sadly and left the room.

The ship would be arriving at the South Pole any minute now and Elaina's nerves were on edge. She had been fidgety all day and the closer they got, the more nervous she became. With her nerves came impatience. Anything the men did seemed to annoy her. _'Why are they goofing around at a time like now? Why are his shoes still not on? And why the hell will he not shut up?'_

Akeno walked over to her just then. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to strangle someone."

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just a bit nervous."

"And you should be," a voice behind her said. Elaina turned around and saw Shen. "We all know the Avatar won't be here. And when Zuko sees that he isn't, he'll get rid of you."

The room had grown quiet. The men circled around them and watched as the feud began to unravel.

Elaina put her hands on her hips and gave him a dark look. "Shen, remind me what your job on this ship is—besides being a total pain in my ass?"

A snicker rose amongst the men. Elaina felt Akeno place a hand upon her shoulder. "Elaina," he muttered, "not now."

Elaina just shrugged him off. She was not letting Shen get away with this one. "If I remember correctly Shen, you were there to see that beam of light. If that's not the Avatar, then _what _was it?"

"Something you Padraicans set up. You're probably luring the prince into some trap," Shen said.

"I am no terrorist, _Shen. _I am completely loyal to Prince Zuko and the fire nation. Prince Zuko_trusts_me. How else would I have gotten this high in rank if he hadn't?" Elaina felt accomplished with her argument.

Shen was quiet for a moment as he thought this over. "Well," he finally said. "I personally thought you slept your way to the top."

It took Shen a second to realize Elaina had just clawed him across the face. He held his face in pain as blood stained his palms.

"You little-''

"Elaina!"

Everyone went dead silent. Slowly, Elaina turned around and saw Zuko and Iroh standing in the doorway. Zuko looked furious. Elaina wouldn't have been surprised if steam started coming out of his ears.

"Everyone out," Zuko growled.

The soldiers quietly abandoned the room. Some gave her pitiful glances while others smirked. Iroh was the last one to leave. He looked disappointed and sad. Elaina felt her heart sink. She was in huge trouble.

When the room was empty, Zuko turned his attention on her. The expression on his face filled her with fear. _'He's going to get rid of you,' _she thought. _'This is the end.'_ Her heart began to furiously pound against her chest.

"When I hired you, I thought I would have absolutely no problems. I assumed you would be well mannered and polite, respectable to men. But lately I have had so many complaints about you getting into fights with the soldiers. I mean honestly, Elaina! I expected so much more out of you!" Zuko exclaimed. He began pacing back and forth. "The way you act sometimes is beyond me."

"Prince Zuko, understand that I am truly disappointed in myself for upsetting you. But it's not me who starts these arguments, it's Shen!"

Zuko glared at her. "Shen is a respectable man who I had never had problems with until I hired you. I understand that some of the things he says to you are inappropriate, but clawing his face—''

Anger surged through Elaina's body. "_Sometimes inappropriate? _Did you not just hear him call me the _royal whore?"_

Instantly she regretted her word choice. Zuko narrowed his eyes and his jaw clenched. He was about to say something when his uncle entered the room.

"Sorry for interrupting, Prince Zuko, but we're getting ready to land," Iroh explained.

Zuko turned back to Elaina. "We'll finish discussing this when I get back." He turned to leave but Elaina stopped him.

"Wait, what do you mean when you get back? I'm still going on this mission, aren't I?" Elaina asked.

"I'd rather have you stay here. It could get messy out there and I'd rather have the men take care of this."

"I'm not going? I'm supposed to be second-in-command on this! I basically found the Avatar for you, you can't do this!"

Zuko got right up in Elaina's face. "In case you haven't noticed, I _can. _I'm the _prince of the fire nation._ Now you're going to stay behind whether you like it or not. I'm also going to suggest that you fix your attitude," Zuko snarled.

"What about our deal? I help you capture the Avatar, you get me into the school of my choice? Remember _that?" _Elaina knew she was pushing it but her temper was getting the best of her today.

"We'll talk about it later," Zuko said. He turned around and left the room.

Elaina looked over at Iroh, her eyes begging him to do something. He looked down at the floor and sadly shook his head.

"Did you hear everything?" Elaina asked.

"Yes," Iroh said quietly.

"You believe me don't you, General Iroh? I swear I'm not trying to cause problems, it's _Shen."_ She had to pinch her palm to keep herself from crying.

Iroh put on a small smile. "Why don't we go make some jasmine tea? That way you'll be calmer when they get back."

Elaina didn't want tea; all she wanted was to go chase after Zuko and beg him to put her back on the mission. But she was too upset and didn't want to push her luck any further. Elaina sighed and followed Iroh to the kitchen.

Zuko angrily walked down the long hallway. After his argument with Elaina, he was torn between whether or not taking her off the mission had been a good idea. Part of him said yes: she had been disrespectful, whiny, and assaulted one of the crew members. The other part of him told him he was an idiot.

Zuko found the other men waiting to be released from the ship. He took his place in front of them and impatiently waited for the door to open.

Akeno cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Prince Zuko? Is Elaina coming?"

"No," Zuko snapped.

There was a long silence. Shen broke it with a laugh. "I knew she wouldn't last."

Zuko spun around. "Shen, I swear, if I hear one more bloody word come out of your mouth, I will _personally _deport you from the fire nation."

Shen opened his mouth then quickly shut it. Everyone was relieved when they heard the door hiss open.

Zuko made his walk down. When he was halfway down the walk way, a young warrior came sprinting at him. Zuko sighed and grabbed the warrior's spear from him. He easily snapped it in two and used one of the pieces to hit the boy on the head. Zuko then shoved him off the walk way and continued downwards.

The South Pole was different than what he had expected. Tiny huts lined the village wall and a large building made of snow sat in the middle. Zuko had been expecting an entire city along with a palace. There was also the fact that the population included only women and children. Oh, and that warrior who was still trying to get out of the snow bank he had landed in. Zuko scanned the scared faces of the crowd, trying to decide if the Avatar was a woman. He soon came to the conclusion that they were probably hiding the Avatar.

"Where is he? Where have you hidden the Avatar?" he demanded. Silence. "I know you have him." Still, silence. Zuko grabbed an old woman from the crowd, causing gasps and cries to escape the citizens' mouths. "He's about this old, master of all four elements."

Once again, Zuko didn't receive an answer. Frustrated, he threw the woman back to the crowd. A young girl caught her and gave Zuko a deathly look. The prince promptly ignored it and sent a burst of fire towards the crowd. Everyone screamed and ducked, some barely missing the flames.

"Last chance before I melt this place. Now—_where is he_?"

It happened very quickly. One moment, Zuko was standing, threatening the crowd. The next, something knocked Zuko off his feet, sending him flying through the air. He face planted in the snow. His helmet, which had been knocked off his head, landed upright on his bottom. Zuko snarled and spit snow out of his mouth. He turned, ready to set his attacker on fire. Instead he abruptly stopped when he saw who it was.

"Looking for me?"

Zuko studied the young monk for a moment. The boy couldn't have been older than twelve. He was bald and had blue tattoos of arrows on his hands and head. He was clad in orange and yellow robes. In his right hand he held a staff. At his feet was the penguin he'd been riding when he knocked Zuko over.

"_You're _the Avatar? You're just a child!" Zuko exclaimed. He was a bit disappointed. After three years of endless searching and training, Zuko had expected he'd be fighting an old man. Now it was a little kid who was his opponent.

The Avatar shrugged. "You're just a teenager."

Zuko sent a burst of fire at the boy. He successfully blocked it using his staff and airbending techniques. Burst after burst, Zuko sent at him making each one deadlier than the last.

The crowd was in hysterics now. They were curled up on the ground, screaming each time he attacked the Avatar. No one dared try to help him, not even the warrior.

Finally, the Avatar looked Zuko hard in the eye. "Stop."

Zuko stopped attacking but did not get out of his stance. The Avatar turned and looked at the villagers on the ground. He sighed and turned back to Zuko. "If I come with you, do you promise to leave these people alone?"

Zuko slowly nodded. The Avatar took a step forward and put his arms out in front of him, a sign of defeat. Two of Zuko's men rushed towards him and tied him up.

"Aang, wait!" The girl who had given Zuko the dirty look earlier ran towards the Avatar. Two of the guards automatically placed themselves between the two. The Avatar had to look past them to see her.

"Please. Don't do this," she begged, her big blue eyes pleading. 

Aang smiled at the girl. "It's all right, Katara. I'll be fine. Take care of Appa for me, will ya?"

She bit her lip and nodded. Zuko turned around and headed back for the ship. "Let's go," he called over his shoulder. The others quickly followed behind him, dragging the Avatar as they went.

As the door to the ship was closing, Zuko sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm going home," he said to no one in particular.

After three cups of jasmine tea, Elaina was still filled with rage. The fact that Zuko had taken her off the mission shocked her. All this time she had thought Zuko was on her side and not Shen's. What on earth happened? Especially after their little archery lesson, Elaina was almost positive Zuko would've taken her side. She sighed and put her head in her hands. What _had _happened this morning? Zuko's behavior had been odd, suggestive even. _No, _Elaina thought sternly. _He's royalty and thinks you're just a peasant girl. There is no way he feels anything romantic towards you. _

Sensing her distress, Iroh poured her another cup. "Now, now, this is nothing to be upset about," Iroh cooed. "Zuko is just a little bit stressed and will have you on the next mission."

Elaina looked up at Iroh, misery filling every part of her body. "You do realize that if he comes back empty handed, I'll be scrubbing the floors with my toothbrush from now on? There's no way he'll put me in charge of another mission."

So this was it. Zuko would tire of her and fire her. She'd be forced back to Padraic and jailed for reasons she did not understand. She had failed Will and her family. There would never be the chance to attend college. All of this made her heart ache.

"Elaina!"

Tiredly, she looked up and saw Akeno standing in the doorway. His eyes shone and he was practically bouncing up and down. That confirmed it all.

She shot up from her chair. "Oh, my God. Did they…?"

His grin grew wider. That was all the proof she needed.

Elaina and Iroh sprinted after Akeno through the ship. The three of them reached the deck panting hard. A crowd had formed and Elaina had to shove her way through to get a better look. She managed to find Zuko, whose back was turned to her. She tried to get a better look of the Avatar but Zuko blocked him. Finally, Zuko turned around and Elaina was able to see the Avatar. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Standing not seven feet away from her was a little boy. He looked nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had blue tattoos on his head and hands. He looked up and noticed Elaina staring at him. Quickly, he averted his eyes and pretended to be interested by something on the floor. There were two guards standing on either side of him. One was Shen.

It took her a moment to realize someone was pulling her out of the crowd. Elaina looked up and saw Zuko. He was leading her back inside the ship. Once they were inside, she spoke.

"_That's _the Avatar? Master of all four elements?"

"You can imagine my surprise when I first saw him," Zuko replied. He pulled off his helmet and shook out his ponytail. "It was actually very easy to get him on the ship. He came willingly."

"Well… that's good, right? I mean, you didn't have to drag him and by the looks of it I'm guessing everyone's still alive," said Elaina.

Zuko looked over his shoulder at her and chuckled. "I knew you were worth it," he said quietly.

"I would've been even better had I been allowed to go," Elaina muttered in reply.

Zuko abruptly stopped and faced her, causing Elaina to run into his chest. He grabbed her wrists and steadied her. Elaina stared at him wide-eyed. After what seemed like forever, he opened his mouth.

"Which school?"

"What?" Elaina asked, confused.

"Which school do you want to go to?" he asked again. "Our deal was you help me capture the Avatar, I get you into whatever school you want. Now, which one will it be?"

Before she could answer, one of the guards came galloping down the hall. "The Avatar! He's escaped!"

"WHAT?" Zuko and Elaina shrieked at the same time.

Elaina took a step towards the man and demanded, "Who was left in charge of him?"

"Uh…" the guard scratched the back of his neck and turned away from Elaina's murderous glare. "Shen…"

It took less than a second for Elaina's temper to explode. "I'm going to rip his throat out!"

_"You're _going to? No, _I'm _going to rip his throat out with my _bare teeth_!" Zuko roared. He sprinted down the hallway and was out of sight.

Elaina groaned and ran up to the control room. It was empty except for a man steering the ship. He looked at her quizzically.

"The Avatar's escaped," she informed him. "Keep a close look out for him—''

Elaina was abruptly thrown forward by a burst of air. She was thrown against the wall and hit her head in the process. Losing control of her legs, she fell backward and slid down the wall. Elaina blinked a few times, trying to regain focus of the world.

The Avatar ran through the control room towards the balcony. Elaina watched in horror as he opened his staff and threw it in front of him, ready to make his escape. He gracefully jumped in the air and had hold of his staff.

Zuko exploded into the room running faster than humanly possible. He ran onto the balcony, jumped, and caught the Avatar by the leg. The two immediately went down.

Elaina pulled herself up and out of the control room and down the staircase. Her body protested in agonizing pain but she pushed forward. Reaching the door that led to the deck, she swung it open and made her way outside.

She had been expecting the worst—Zuko and the Avatar dead on the ground, their brains spilling out of their heads. She released her breath when she saw the two pulling themselves up. Both were a bit wobbly and disoriented from the fall. Elaina ran to Zuko's side, her bow already loaded with an arrow. She pointed it at the Avatar's chest and he froze.

"One more move and I'll shoot," she growled. She still wasn't too happy about being thrown against the wall. Already, she could feel nasty bruises forming.

Zuko moved forward. "Get down," he demanded.

The Avatar looked angry. "You can't make me—''

"Elaina," Zuko barked and she tightened her grip on the bow. The boy sighed and slowly kneeled on the ground. Just then his eyes lit up and he smiled. "Appa!"

Zuko and Elaina turned around. A flying, furry beast was coming straight at them. Zuko furrowed his brow. "What the hell is _that?_"

The creature landed only a few feet in front of them. Turning sideways, the creature whipped his giant tail at them. Elaina ducked. Zuko on the other hand took the full blow and was sent overboard. She rolled her eyes and ran towards the two people who were dismounting the animal.

One of them was a pretty, young girl clad in blue robes. She ran towards Elaina and sent a pathetic water whip at her. It splashed against her shoes. Elaina looked up at the girl. "Really?" she asked.

Turning her attention to the other person, Elaina came face-to-face with an extremely cute boy. He ran towards her, ready to strike a blow. Elaina successfully dodged it and tripped him. The boy bounced forward and landed t the Avatar's feet. The Avatar looked genuinely happy. "Hi, Sokka!"

"Hey, Aang," Sokka muttered, slowly getting to his feet.

After what seemed like an eternity, the rest of the crew showed up. They circled around the three children, ready to attack. The waterbender and the Avatar took up fighting stances; Sokka just stood behind them, looking miserable.

The crew and the two benders fought. Elaina noticed that the water bender was a novice bender, using moves that just seemed to splash everyone. There was one move she attempted that ended up getting her brother frozen in a pile of ice. He yelled at her and used his boomerang to try and free himself. She ignored him and went back to fighting.

The Avatar seemed to be having difficulties, too. The crew outnumbered him and it was obvious he was getting tired. Soon they would capture him again and Zuko could decide what he wanted to do with the other two.

Speaking of Zuko, where was he? Elaina turned and saw the prince struggling to pull himself back onto the ship. _Oh yeah. He was thrown overboard. _Elaina went over to help him but Sokka beat her to him. Using the hilt of his spear, Sokka hit Zuko on the head three times. Zuko fell again.

"That's from the Southern Water Tribe!" he exclaimed. He ran back towards the fight…which wasn't much of a fight now. The waterbender had managed to freeze half the crew and she, Aang, and Sokka were boarding flying puff-ball thing now. Elaina sprinted towards them. It was too late. They were already flying away.

Elaina glanced around, not sure what to do. Iroh was helping Zuko back onto the ship. Once he was back on, Zuko and Iroh made their way towards the front of the ship. Together, they sent an enormous fireball at the flying bison. The Avatar jumped at it, sending the fire back towards a nearby iceberg. The ice exploded on impact and tons of snow and ice landed on the ship. Everyone jumped out of the way so they wouldn't get crushed. Finally, the ship came to a screeching halt.

Elaina gasped. The entire front of the ship was buried under ice. No one said anything. Elaina looked at Zuko, who was practically twitching with fury. Elaina and the other men averted their eyes as Zuko walked towards them. This was not good…

"Clean this up. We're going after him again," Zuko growled. He looked at the men who were still frozen in ice. Some of the other men were using their bending to try and thaw them off. Zuko groaned and added, "As soon as you get done with that."

Iroh stood next to Elaina and clucked his tongue. "He's going to be in a very sour mood for the next few days."

Elaina puffed some air out of her cheeks. "No kidding."

**Read & Review please! It keeps me motivated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Why hello, gorgeous! Haha, I'm very hyper today. Anyway, here's chapter 6 (yay!). This is my longest chapter yet. I wrote it in this notebook that I write all my fics in and it was, like, twenty-five freaking pages long. But don't worry. Some things are revealed in this chapter. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Later on in the chapter, there's a certain outfit Elaina wears, so if you'd like to see my inspiration for it, here's the link: ****.com/imgres?q=princess+ball+gown&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=41rjg7cFjWM7vM:&imgrefurl=.com/si/princess%252Bdress%253Fall%253Dtrue%2526page%253D5%2526price%253D1&docid=UL2rPTQ_xCAKnM&w=543&h=733&ei=9CgvToOWB4nEgQet4oCVAQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=610&page=9&tbnh=147&tbnw=130&start=95&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:95&tx=87&ty=61&biw=1024&bih=499** **(Holy crap, that's longer than I expected…) Read & review!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. ):**

**~*Chapter 6*~**

The sun had already begun to set, the sky a mix of pinks and oranges. Padraic was a beautiful place during the last few weeks of autumn but it did not help to change Will's mood. He shuffled through the leaves, making his way to the prison. After weeks of begging, Will had finally been granted permission to visit the queen. He had every intention of learning about the crimes from the queen herself.

Will reached the building where he met up with one of the prison guards. He led Will up the winding staircase to the top of the prison. They reached a large door with two guards stationed on either side. The guard who Will had been following produced a key from his pocket. Turning it in the keyhole, Will heard the sound of the key clicking and the door was pushed open. Will slowly entered the room. The door was closed behind him.

It took a moment for Will's eyes to adjust. The room was large with a bed in one corner and a dresser in another. A dull rug had been placed on the concrete floor.

"Ah, Will Sydney. I was afraid I'd never get the chance to finally meet you," a feminine voice purred.

Will faced the direction of the voice. Sitting by the only window in the room was Queen Perdita. At twenty-five years old, she was stunning. Her straight, light brown hair fell to her slender waist. Her alabaster skin was flawless. She had a heart shaped face with full pink lips and cat-like green eyes that stared intently at Will from under thick, black lashes. Everything about Perdita was identical to Elaina, except for the hair and eye color.

Will bowed. "Your Highness."

A small smile lit up her face. "You're the first person to address me that way in a very long time."

Will grabbed a chair and sat across from Perdita. "Do you know why I'm here?"

She raised her brows. "To interrogate me?"

Will shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly… I wanted to hear about what happened that night from you."

"I remember absolutely _nothing. _One minute, I was at a party; the next, I was being hauled off to jail. Everything in between is a blur," she explained.

"Your Highness, you do realize that's not enough to help you with the situation you're in, don't you?" Will asked.

Perdita narrowed her eyes. "I'm not an _idiot. _If I could remember one bloody detail about that night, I'd tell someone. Now, you can either go figure out what happened or leave me alone. Your choice."

Will was silent. After an awkward moment, he stood and bowed to the queen, then turned for the door.

"Will?" Perdita said, stopping him.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"My sister… Where is she? I haven't seen her since all of this happened and there are times when I hear the guards whispering about her. Every time I ask my mother or Garrett about her, they refuse to tell me."

Will paused for a moment. Quickly, he walked back to Perdita and dropped his voice so low she had to strain to hear him.

"Elaina is also in trouble with the government. As soon as your father was arrested, your mother had Elaina sent away. At the moment, she's hiding on a fire nation ship that belongs to Prince Zuko, the eldest son of the fire lord."

Perdita's eyes bulged out of her head. "_What? _Why on earth is she in trouble?"

"Your father made a deal with your husband that had to do with her. The king was furious and as punishment, said he would have Elaina executed," Will explained.

The color drained from Perdita's face. "No," she whispered. She said to Will, fiercely, "You _cannot _let anything happen to her, do you understand?"

"I've promised to protect her with my life."

She shook her head in disgust. "My poor sister, trapped and alone with the filthy, bloodsucking _fire nation_!"

Elaina gripped her stomach as she tried to control her laughter. She sat by some of the younger crew members and watched them impersonate Zuko and Shen. The man impersonating Zuko, Razi, threw a fake punch at Ki, Shen's impersonator. Ki fell to the ground and covered his face with his hands.

"Shen, you failure! I'm going to rip you to pieces, burn you, and then eat you!" Razi roared.

Ki looked up at Razi, his eyes pleading. In a high pitched voice he said, "Oh no, please! I'll do anything!"

"Rawr!" Razi firebended at Ki and purposely missed. After a moment, Ki hopped up and the two bowed. Elaina and the others clapped and wooped.

After the ship had practically been destroyed, Zuko had been determined to go after the Avatar again. Iroh, on the other hand, claimed they'd get nowhere with a damaged ship. The two argued for nearly half an hour. Zuko finally gave in when the men discovered that the basement of the ship was beginning to flood. The ship barely made it to a fire nation ship yard before the basement was entirely under water.

For the last hour, the crew had been hanging around waiting for Zuko to bring back orders. In that time, Elaina had met Razi and Ki. Ki was short, had cropped black hair, squinty eyes, and a great sense of humor. Razi was a tall twenty-two year old with long, wavy, black hair, dark skin, and chocolate brown eyes. Elaina couldn't help the fact that she thought he was attractive.

"Nice show," came a low voice. Everyone spun around and saw Prince Zuko. Quickly, they all bowed. No one dared to look anywhere but his feet.

Zuko slowly walked up to Razi, examining him. "Though my only advice is that next time you don't _miss _your shot."

Ki's fists clenched and he tightened his lips. The atmosphere was uneasy. Zuko and Razi wordlessly stared at each other. Even though Razi was taller than Zuko, he seemed to shrink from the prince's glare. Finally, Razi looked away.

Zuko turned to walk away. He paused when he got to Elaina. Slowly, she looked up at him.

"There'll be a meeting tonight. Don't be late," he said, then walked away.

"Ugh, I hate that guy," Razi said once Zuko was out of ear shot.

Elaina sighed. "He's just stressed. He won't be so unkind once we're sailing again."

"Easy for you to say," Ki scoffed. "You're his favorite."

"What do you mean?"

Razi looked at Elaina. "The prince adores you. He's always talking about how we should work as hard as you do."

"That's not true. He took me off the mission," Elaina replied.

Razi and Ki shook their heads at the same time. "_Nooo, _it's true. Prince Zuko basically worships the ground you walk upon. Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you?" Ki asked.

"Um, no, not really," Elaina said.

"…Has he _tried _anything on you?" Ki asked.

"_What?_"

Razi gave Ki a dirty look. "Just… be careful around Zuko. He's a bit of a womanizer."

Elaina's eye brows shot up. "Zuko? _No. _No way."

"He hasn't done anything since he brought you back. But yes, it's true. Zuko used to bring a _lot _of girls back to the ship. I'm not going to lie, but when he brought you to the ship, everyone thought you were just another one of his… um… you know."

"Play toys," Ki said.

"Right," said Razi.

"Well if that's the case, then why is Iroh always complaining about Zuko and how he won't get married?"

"Because his flings never last longer than a couple of hours. Well, except for one…" Razi trailed off.

"What happened?" she asked.

Razi looked at her seriously. "Don't worry about it. It was just… really bad. Just promise us you'll be careful around him, okay?"

Elaina was silent, trying to figure out what could've happened. After living at court her entire life, Elaina had heard a lot about sexual scandals. She just couldn't imagine one having to do with Zuko.

She looked back to Razi and Ki and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll be careful."

Before they had arrived, Zuko had given very strict orders to everyone not to mention anything about the Avatar. If anyone asked about the ship, the cover story was that they'd been attacked by water benders. Zuko knew that if the fire nation found out about the Avatar, he'd have next to no chance of capturing him. Zuko could then say goodbye to regaining his honor and his father's love. The thought of it was unbearable.

"I want to be out of here no later than tomorrow afternoon," Zuko told his uncle. "The minute we sat sail, we're finding him."

"Finding who?"

_Oh, crap._

Zuko turned around and frowned. It was Commander Zhao, who was being followed by at least fourteen fire nation soldiers. Zuko had never liked Zhao. He had always thought of him as a prick.

"The water benders who attacked my ship," Zuko muttered.

"Hmm, shame. You know, if you had a bigger ship you wouldn't have to worry about a couple of pesky water benders," said Zhao.

Everyone looked at Zuko's ship. Compared to all the other ships at the dock, it looked like a toy. Zuko sighed in frustration.

"Is there something you need, Commander Zhao? Because I have things to do." Zuko felt his uncle's elbow jab him in the side. Uncle Iroh would be giving him a lecture on manners tonight.

Zhao's eye twitched, but the fake smile stayed plastered on his face. "Just wanted to make sure you were enjoying yourself."

_Anything but. _

"Yes, we are," Iroh said politely. "Thank you."

Zuko then noticed Elaina standing awkwardly behind some of Zhao's men. Zuko motioned for her to come closer. She uncomfortably pushed past some of the men.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Prince Zuko. But some of the men were wondering—''

"Who's this?" Zhao asked, rudely cutting her off.

Zuko turned to Zhao, annoyed. "Elaina. She works for me."

Zhao looked at her then turned back to Zuko. "Funny," he said. "I hadn't realized that call girls came out in broad daylight."

Zhao's men laughed. Zuko felt his hands heat up with fire.

"Why, Commander Zhao, how dare you?" Iroh gasped.

Everyone went silent when a high, feminine laugh began. Zuko turned. Elaina was laughing. She smiled and covered her mouth with her hand. She looked at Zhao apologetically. "Forgive me, for I am nothing but a stupid girl," she giggled. Her eyes widened and she shrugged as if to say _I don't know._ "But this entire time I thought _assholes _were nocturnal! Ha, ha! Silly me…"

A laugh escaped Zuko. He covered his mouth with his hand and began to shake uncontrollably.

"_Never _have I been treated with such disrespect, especially from a _woman!" _Zhao exclaimed.

"There's a first for everything," Elaina replied, her eyes staring intently at Zhao.

Zhao growled and walked away, his men following in two straight lines behind him. Zuko rested his forehead against Elaina's shoulder and continued to laugh. She tensed up.

Iroh sighed. "The two of you are getting a long lecture tonight."

Since the ship was still under repair, the crew had been given the afternoon off. Elaina was grateful for this. Her body ached from working every day for the last few weeks.

Elaina had found a cozy lounge with two fireplaces and large, plush couches. She happily plopped down with a few scrolls in her arms, deciding to catch up on some studying. Pulling out a scroll from her pile, she began to read.

_"The Fire Nation has always been powerful. With an intellectual government and wealthy economy, it tops both the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes…"_

A loud yawn escaped Elaina's mouth. Elaina rubbed her eyes, then blinked a few times. She looked back at the passage again.

_"Many techniques from fire bending originally came from animals, one of them being the dragon…"_

Elaina's eyes drooped shut. _Focus, woman. _She opened her eyes again and tried reading a different passage.

_"Tension between the four nations began…"_

Screw it. She was going to take a nap instead.

Within five minutes, Elaina was asleep, dreaming about her old life in Padraic. She dreamt about the secret midnight parties she and her friends held; walks through the palace garden; flirting with the young lords; her sister's marriage to King Alir. Her most vivid dream was of the last ball she'd attended. There was laughter in the air and the room was beautifully decorated. Perdita and Alir sat at a long table facing the dance floor; Elaina's family sat next to Perdita while Alir's blank-faced advisors sat next to him.

Elaina and five other young girls danced before the table. They twirled and clapped, smiling the entire time. Elaina, as usual, was front and center. She wore a short sleeved, cream colored gown. The bodice was tight and fitted while the skirt was loose and flowing. On the middle of the bodice and edges of the skirt was an intricate design of pink flowers with green stems. Her long, red waves had been pulled into a half-up, half-down style. The only piece of jewelry she wore was a large necklace with silver roses.

The room was suddenly empty and dark. An old woman sat in Perdita's seat.

Elaina gasped. "You again?"

This was the second time Elaina had seen this woman in her dreams. Elaina couldn't help but feel a bit paranoid.

"Yes, my dear, it is me again." She smiled and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Elaina was sitting next to her.

"How did you do that?" Elaina exclaimed. She had just been standing fifteen feet away!

The woman chuckled. "With my mind, of course. This is a dream, remember?"

"So… could I do that?"

"With a bit of practice, yes." The woman pointed to a candle stick. "Light it."

Elaina stared at it. "How?" she asked.

"You just need to think about lighting it," she told her.

Swallowing, Elaina concentrated hard on lighting the candle. Instantly, it erupted into flames.

Elaina laughed in amusement. She began to mentally light every candle in the room.

"What else can I do?" Elaina asked.

"Practically anything," the woman replied. Her expression turned serious. "But it will have to wait—there are things we need to discuss."

Elaina sighed and slumped in her seat. "Like I said last time: I have no intention of stealing the throne from Perdita."

"That's not quite what I wanted to talk about," said the woman.

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, it has to do with the throne," replied the woman.

Elaina lifted her hand. "Stop. I don't want to hear it."

"If you'd let me finish…"

"Ugh. Fine, go on."

The old woman was suddenly standing before her. "I know how to save your sister."

Elaina straightened up. She searched the woman's face for a hint of a lie. There was none. "Tell me."

"King Alir is willing to spare your sister if you—''

"_Elaina…"_

Elaina's head shot up. "Who's that?"

The woman looked annoyed. "Someone's trying to wake you up."

_"Elaaaaina…"_

"This will have to be put on hold until further notice," the woman told her. She and the room then vanished and Elaina was left alone in complete darkness.

"_Elaina!"_

Slowly, she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to readjust her vision. Razi was standing over her. Elaina groaned and pushed herself up.

"What time is it?" she asked, groggily.

"Don't worry about it. Something happened," Razi said.

Elaina then realized how nervous he looked. "Razi? What is it? What's happened?"

He looked around the room to make sure it was empty. "Someone blabbed about the Avatar. Zhao's men are preparing all his ships to start hunting him down. Once word has reached the fire lord, there will be _thousands_ of ships searching for him."

Elaina's jaw dropped. "_No! _What's Prince Zuko doing about this?"

"He can't do anything. Zhao has him and General Iroh in custody so they can't leave and beat him to the Avatar."

Elaina jumped off the couch and headed for the door. "Where are they being held?"

"In Zhao's tent. Elaina, there's no way they'll let you in."

"Oh, believe me, they'll let me in. I'm a _very _persuasive person."

Iroh and Zuko were being released from Zhao's tent when Elaina got there. Zuko was shouting orders to his men.

"What's happening?" Elaina demanded.

Iroh looked grim. "Prince Zuko has challenged Commander Zhao to an Agni Kai."

Elaina suddenly remembered the time when she first met Will. He had told her that Zuko had gotten his scar from an Agni Kai. She turned to the prince.

"You can't be serious! You challenged _him _to an Agni Kai?" Elaina exclaimed.

Zuko glared at her. "Yes. Do you think I'm not good enough to fight?"

"_No, _Your Highness, you're an excellent fighter. But don't you think he might have a little more experience?" The thought of Zuko fighting Zhao scared her. Even though she hated the commander, he was probably the last person she'd _ever _want to fight.

"If Zhao's so much better than me, why don't you go work for _him? _I don't need you," Zuko snapped.

"Now, nephew," Iroh interrupted. "She's only concerned for you."

"There's no need to be. I am perfectly capable of fighting. Now, Elaina, you can either support me or get out of my face."

Elaina bit her tongue. There were so many crude things she'd like to say to him at the moment. But no. That'd do her no good.

"Very well, Your Highness," she said, her voice strained. "Is there anything you need, then?"

Zuko walked away. "No," he called over his shoulder. "Just stay out of my way."

Fire burned through her veins. "Prick," she muttered.

Razi walked up to her. "Don't listen to him. He's not worth your time," he said quietly.

"No can do," she replied, sourly. No matter how much Zuko pissed her off, he still chose her fate. As long as Mr. Prick was happy, she was okay.

Zuko kneeled in the arena with his uncle. He was taking deep, slow breaths, trying to calm his nerves.

"Now, remember your fire bending basics," Iroh told him. "They are your greatest weapons."

Zuko stood up. "I refuse to let him win."

Zuko pulled off his robe and faced Zhao, who was standing on the opposite end of the arena. The gong sounded. Zuko took a deep breath and made the first move.

The prince sent three fire balls in Zhao's direction. The older man successfully dodged each one. He sent a blast of fire in return. Zuko formed an _X _with his arms in front of him and blocked the attack. He stood up again, panting. Immediately, Zhao followed with another attack.

Uncle Iroh was yelling something, but Zuko was too caught up in blocking the attacks to pay attention to his uncle. Each one of Zhao's attacks sent him backwards. He lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the solid ground. He groaned in pain. Zhao ran up to Zuko and aimed fire at the prince's face. Zuko's eyes widened.

Filled with adrenaline, Zuko kicked Zhao's legs out from under him. He fell backwards and Zuko dodged the fire. Zuko smirked. Zhao was back up immediately. Though this time, Zuko was on offense and Zhao was on defense.

Using his feet, Zuko sent fire at Zhao. He jumped to avoid the hot flames licking at his feet. Zuko bended a massive fire ball at Zhao's feet. The ground exploded and Zhao went flying. He rolled on the ground. Zuko ran up to him and hit a fire bending stance, ready to blow Zhao's face off.

"Do it!" Zhao screamed.

Zuko grunted and sent a massive fire ball at the commander.

The world went silent. Zhao lied on the ground, breathing heavily. He turned and stared at the blackened earth just inches away from his head.

"That's it?" Zhao exclaimed. "That's all you've got? Ha! The fire lord raised a coward!"

"Next time you get in my way, I won't hold back," Zuko said, fiercely.

The prince turned and began to walk away. Zhao roared in anger. Using his foot, he sent a fireball at Zuko. However, the fireball was stopped by Iroh. The retired general grabbed Zhao's foot and sent him flying backwards. Zuko ran up to his uncle, ready to attack Zhao again. Iroh put his arm out and stopped him.

"What a disgrace, Commander Zhao," Iroh said. "Even in exile, my nephew has more dignity than you. We'll be leaving now. Oh, and thank you for the tea. It was delicious."

Iroh led Zuko out of the arena. Zuko looked at his uncle.

"Did you really mean what you said back there?" Zuko asked quietly.

"Of course," Iroh replied. "I told you, gin seng tea is my favorite!"

Zuko could only smirk.

Around eleven o'clock that night, Elaina sat on her bed, reading one of her scrolls. As she read, she tugged on her braided hair. She was halfway through reading about the history of the fire nation when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called.

The door slowly opened. Elaina's heart dropped. Prince Zuko entered her room, looking very uncomfortable and very out of place. Elaina got off her bed and bowed.

"Prince Zuko," she murmured. She stood and pulled her robe tighter against her body. "Is there something you need…?"

"Just thought I'd stop by," he said.

The two stood there awkwardly. Elaina knew he was lying. The prince of the fire nation didn't just "stop by". He was obviously there for a reason.

Elaina was getting ready to pull the truth out of him when he spoke.

"Your room's a mess," he said in disgust. Zuko's nose wrinkled up as he took in the room.

Elaina looked around. Her room _was _a disaster. Scrolls and text books occupied every open surface and her clothes were scattered across the floor. Her bed hadn't been made in _weeks _and her plate from dinner had been left on a chair. Elaina's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"I've been a bit busy lately…" she muttered. "Is that why you came? To tell me to clean my room?"

"Well now that you mention it, that sounds like a pretty good idea," Zuko said. "But, uh, no. I came here to say… that I'm… um… I'm…" Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry about the way I treated you earlier."

Elaina thought for a moment. "Did your uncle tell you to come apologize?"

"At least I said it! I could take it back if I wanted to!" Zuko snapped.

"Okay, okay! No need to get snappy," Elaina said. She smiled mischievously. "But alright, I forgive you."

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest. "Thank you."

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

"No, that is all." Zuko opened the door, then paused. "Oh, and Elaina?"

"Yes?"

"Clean your room."

"Your wish is my command," she teased.

Zuko stared at her for a few moments longer than necessary. Finally, he nodded and was out the door.

Elaina sat back down on her bed. Zuko's emotions confused her. One moment, he was happy with her, the next, threatening to get rid of her. The prince's mood swings gave her a headache. She leaned over and blew out the candle. She'd worry about it tomorrow. For now, she wanted the old woman to visit her dreams and tell her how to save Perdita.

**A/N: Uuuuuugh, that chapter took me FOREVER to type. Oh and I accidentally deleted the second half of it right before I finished, so I had to start ALL OVER AGAIN. *Sigh* Well I hope you guys enjoyed it, despite the length. Please read and review. If there's anything you think I should change or you want to give an opinion, DON'T HOLD BACK. I'd rather have someone tell me they hate it and give me a bajillion things to fix as opposed to having everyone read it, thinking that I could fix sooo many things and not say anything. So give me your advice, por favor. I'll try to get Chapter 7 up ASAP. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Once again: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in, what, two months? That sounds about right. I have literally no free time anymore—my life consists of nothing but soccer, homework, and cheerleading. Thankfully my soccer season is almost over and I don't start my official cheer season for another two months so HOPEFULLY I can get **_**at least **_**three chapters in. I've been feeling rather creative lately. Please read & review! If you have advice about ANYTHING, feel free to let me know!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own A:TLA. If I did, I'd have Zuko and Zhao have a rap. That would be AMAZING. **

**~*Chapter 7*~**

The dense forest was filled with fog. The human eye couldn't see further than five feet away. Large trees stood erect, their branches looking like arms ready to pull the wanderer off the path. The fog continued to swirl in gray clouds.

Elaina slowly strode through the forest, going nowhere but knew she was looking for something. The air was chilled and she could see her breath when she exhaled. She was clad in a long sleeved white dress with a black cloak that was so long it trailed behind her. Pushing past the arm-like branches, she continued her journey.

Finally, the woods let out and Elaina entered a small clearing. There was an eerie presence here. Slowly, she turned around, taking in this new, foreign place.

After moving in a circle, Elaina faced the clearing again, shocked to find Perdita standing before her. She took a step back. Something about her sister wasn't right.

Before she could utter a word, Perdita spoke. The words that came out of her mouth terrified Elaina. It sounded as though ten people were speaking at once.

"Trouble is looking for you," Perdita and the voices said. "It desires to find you—and then to destroy you. Be careful, sister. These times are no longer safe."

As soon as she'd come, she was gone. Elaina's heart was beating frantically in her chest. What was going to happen to her? What had Perdita meant?

A low growl came from behind. Elaina spun around. A pair of golden eyes stared at her. Golden eyes… just like Zuko's. The owner of these eyes stepped out and revealed itself. A beast, at least eight feet tall with matted, black hair, stood before her. Another growl escaped its muzzle.

Fear took over. Elaina stood frozen, her eyes wide.

The beast lunged, its jaw opened, those golden eyes staring at her bare neck.

She didn't even have time to scream.

Elaina shot up, drenched in sweat, her heart beating a thousand miles per hour. Her hands instantly went up to her neck. It was fine, untouched.

_How? _she wondered. She had _felt _the beast's teeth sink into her skin, ripping the flesh apart. It had all been so realistic.

Still not entirely convinced that she was fine, Elaina got out of bed and went over to her mirror. Her neck looked just like it had when she'd gone to bed the previous night. Elaina sighed. Her breath was still coming out ragged and short.

A sharp knock on the door nearly gave her another heart attack. She stared at the door, too terrified to move. Another knock. Slowly, she tip-toed over and opened the door just a crack.

To her relief, it was only Iroh. He gave her a warm, fatherly smile.

"Good to see you're up," he said kindly. "We've stopped and we're going to get some more supplies. I was wondering if you'd like to come along?"

Elaina released the breath she'd been holding. "Sure. Just hold on a second."

Iroh nodded and Elaina closed the door. She leaned back against it and closed her eyes. She needed to calm down—it had only been a dream. Elaina walked over to the bowl she kept by her bed and splashed some cold water on her face.

"How long do you think you'll be?" Iroh called.

Elaina grabbed a brush and began to tug it through her tangled hair. "Not long. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay. I'll be up on deck."

She heard his footsteps as he walked away. She quickly pulled on a pair of black pants with a red tunic and the navy blue cloak she'd left Padraic in. Finally, she blew out the candle and left her room.

Iroh and Elaina walked side-by-side down the busy street of the village. Even though the air was bitterly cold, people were still making their daily runs to the market. There was an aroma of spices and firewood in the air. Elaina took in a deep breath—she loved this time of year, when it was late fall.

Iroh led her over to a vendor selling all types of fruits. He handed her a basket and started loading it with the brightly colored fruits.

"You're awfully quiet today," Iroh told her as he placed a ripe reddish-purple fruit in the basket.

"I'm tired, that's all," she mumbled.

Iroh raised a brow. "I can tell there's more. You just won't admit it."

Elaina turned away from his knowing stare. "Really, I'm fine. It's just this workload—it's wearing me out."

"You know if you're really that tired, you should ask my nephew to give you a break." Iroh handed the fruit vendor a couple of coins and quietly thanked him.

Elaina snorted. "Yeah, like _that's _going to happen. Prince Zuko probably thinks I don't work enough."

Iroh sighed. "He's not cruel like you might think. I'm sure he'd understand if you asked."

Annoyance flared inside of her. She began to massage her temples. "I never called him cruel, General. I was just simply stating that he would not be so fond of me taking a break. _That's all."_

Iroh raised his palms in defeat. "Okay, okay. No need to get feisty." 

Elaina remained silent as they walked. She really was not in the mood to get angry at Iroh. He was one of the only men on the ship who was kind to her and treated her like an equal. That respect was not something she could afford to lose.

"Ooh, what's that, Elaina?" Iroh asked. Taking her by the arm, he pulled her to the other side of the street. A large poster had been tacked to the wall.

"'Festival of the Moon,'" Iroh read. "'Dancing, entertainment, and food. Starts at sundown tonight.' We should all go! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"I thought the water tribe worshipped the moon," Elaina said.

"They do, but their festivities don't start until winter. This is for any of the three nations," Iroh explained.

She had to admit, she missed the parties she'd frequently attended in Padraic. A little festival like this was beginning to make her excited. A childish grin formed on her face.

"We should go," she agreed.

As if on cue and ready to ruin their fun, Prince Zuko pushed past them and tore down the sign. His eyes darted across the page as he examined it. Zuko turned to his uncle.

"Tell me you weren't planning on going to this."

"I wasn't planning on going to this," Iroh lied.

Zuko threw his head back in annoyance. "_Uncle. _We don't have time for this, the Avatar is getting away. And you can't just go to some cheap peasant palooza. We're royalty, remember?"

Iroh rolled his eyes. "Learn to loosen up, Zuko. One night of relaxation won't kill you. This will be fun!"

Zuko clenched his teeth. Elaina could tell that he was trying very, _very _hard to keep his temper under control. "Uncle," he said slowly. "I have no time for fun or relaxation. My time is one hundred percent devoted to capturing the Avatar."

"Fine. Go look for the Avatar. Everyone else will just go and have a wonderful time."

Zuko's face turned as red as his scar. "Fine! Then I'll leave without you guys! Don't be surprised if the ship's gone!"

He stormed off, leaving Elaina and Iroh behind.

Iroh sighed. "Sometimes I worry about him. He's growing up way too fast!"

"I don't think growing up is the problem," Elaina muttered. "I don't think it's such a good idea to go to the festival if it will make the prince angrier."

Iroh smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. He'll be fine. Zuko will end up changing his mind and will go with us."

"Whatever you say…"

Zuko ended up going with them that night.

He stayed at the very back of the group, with his hood pulled over his head. He was wearing all black, clearly wanting to stay anonymous. His choice in clothing matched his mood perfectly. Anyone who had tried to talk to him had received a silent death threat.

Elaina tried to ignore his foul mood. Why would anyone be upset about going out and having fun? Couldn't he learn to loosen up?

Elaina followed some of the younger crew members into the village. The scene took her breath away. What had once been a plain town was now an exotic place full of life. Loud, upbeat music played and a large group of people danced to the beat. The air was filled with the scent of foods that made her mouth water. Glowing candles lit up the streets.

The group ended up buying dinner from one of the street vendors. They sat around chowing down on the delicious food. Elaina's foot tapped to the beat of the music as she licked some sauce off her fingers. Razi walked over and sat next to her.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.

She nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "I haven't had this much fun in ages. We should go to festivals like this more often," Elaina said.

Razi grinned. A warmth flowed through her body. He had a really nice smile….

"I would love going out more often. We could go together," he said.

Elaina blushed. "I'd love that."

Razi winked at her and walked over to some of the other men. She bit her lip, trying to keep from grinning like a maniac. This night was perfect….

Right when she thought of that, Elaina spotted Zuko. He was about fifty feet away, standing by one of the vending carts, a cup in his hand. Elaina could tell by the way he was leaning against the wall and how his head was slowly nodding that the cup was probably filled with alcohol. Elaina followed his eyes to the other side of the street. A tall brunette wearing a tight red dress was amongst the dancers, her body moving like water. Everything about her screamed lust and desire.

Zuko's eyes stared at her hungrily. The girl continued to cast spells on him with her body. He licked his lips.

For some reason, Elaina was overcome by annoyance. She remembered Razi telling her that Zuko was a womanizer. She just hadn't been able to believe it.

Elaina was up and moving towards Razi. He watched as she approached. Elaina leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Come dance with me."

Razi's face was blank at first. Then a sly grin formed. He stood and took her by the hand, leading her to the dance.

The music had changed. Horns and drums played a slow, powerful beat and maracas were being shaken. Razi and Elaina started the dance, walking in slow circles around each other. Their shoulders brushed against one another. Elaina looked over at Zuko. He was watching them, his eyes filled with curiosity and something dark, like anger. His posture straightened and he crossed his arms over his chest.

Elaina felt Razi's arms wrap around her hip and pull her closer. Together, they slowly danced to the music, following everyone else and what they were doing. Razi spun her and pulled her back, Elaina facing the opposite direction. Razi wrapped his arms around her and together they moved a few steps backward, then forward.

Elaina couldn't help but feel giddy. Every time her skin brushed against Razi's, her heart sped up. Their faces were mere inches apart.

The music grew louder. Elaina's eyes went back to the place where Zuko had been standing. To her surprise, he was no longer there. She smiled. Now she could finally enjoy herself.

Razi spun her around once more before the music ended. Everyone clapped when the song was over and a new, faster one began. She was getting ready to suggest that they dance to this one when Razi leaned forward and kissed her.

It was a soft, sweet kiss. Elaina leaned forward, pressing her mouth against his, kissing him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer. Elaina didn't want the kiss to end. She had forgotten what it felt like to be appreciated and wanted.

The kiss was perfect until someone tapped her on the shoulder. Her body filled with rage. Who the hell dared to ruin such a perfect moment like this? She spun around, ready to give the person a whole lot of crap.

Oh. Hey, Zuko.

The prince was looking at her disapprovingly. His eyes darted back and forth between Razi and Elaina, then back to Razi. He cleared his throat.

"I'm going back to the ship and Uncle wanted you to go with me. He said it's too late for you to be out," Zuko said bitterly. "Let's go."

"Um, okay?" Elaina said, making it very clear that she was pissed off.

Zuko began pushing past other people. Elaina turned back to Razi, ready to apologize.

"It's fine," he said as if he had read her thoughts. "Go with him. I don't want you to get in trouble." He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.

Elaina mumbled goodbye and chased after Zuko. She caught up to him and the two walked in silence out of the village and down the mile long path leading back to the ship. Once the sounds from the festival had grown feint, Zuko began to laugh.

She stared at him, beginning to feel nervous. He continued to laugh for a few more seconds. Finally, he stared at her, his golden eyes wild, a twisted smirk plastered on his face.

"You have no idea how close I am to firing you," Zuko told her. Elaina's skin turned to ice. She stopped walking and stared at him.

"What?" she asked.

Zuko stopped and faced her. His smirk was gone. "That little show you put on back there has the entire crew talking. You should hear some of the things they're saying about you. And Razi, too. He just lost all of his respect."

"We didn't even do anything wrong," she said quietly.

"I watched the entire thing, Elaina. The grinding, the making out. You have no idea how embarrassed I am. I was kind enough to give you your position and you treat it like a joke. I could've had the Avatar by now, but your games have cost me everything," Zuko snarled.

Elaina strode towards him, anger taking over. "You're embarrassed by _my _actions? Your entire crew views you as a no-good, unfair womanizer. We all saw the way you were looking at that girl, as though she was a piece of _meat. _You're just a lonely, jealous man who's cruel to everyone."

Zuko laughed, but there was no humor in it. "_I'm _jealous?" he asked. His voice was beginning to rise. "If you think I'm jealous of some low-ranked soldier and a SLUTTY, PADRAICAN _PEASANT, _you are _wrong!"_

The forest went dead silent. Zuko was breathing hard, his body shaking. Elaina stood there frozen with shock, her eyes beginning to sting. She was biting her lip so hard she could taste blood in her mouth. Zuko's facial expression went from angry to weary to completely shocked. His eyes widened.

"Oh shit," he gasped. "Elaina—I—I—I did not mean that. I—crap—I've had too much to drink tonight. Elaina?"

She shoved past him and sprinted away. Her chest was heaving, her eyes burning. She had never been so terrified of a person before. Yes, she knew Zuko had a temper but she never dreamed of him getting that angry. Elaina ran deeper into the forest.

Low branches scratched her skin as she ran. Elaina could hear Zuko calling for her in the distance. His voice became quiet. Soon, Elaina wasn't able to hear the prince.

Elaina ended up in a small clearing. She tightly grasped her sides as she tried to catch her breath. She walked further into the clearing. A small cry escaped her mouth. She slowly sank to the ground and closed her eyes. She wished she'd never had to come here—Elaina desired nothing more than to have her old life back. The one where her family was innocent and she could be a young, care-free girl. She was tired of being an unhappy liar.

Elaina took a deep breath and nearly choked. Something rancid had filled her nose. She lifted her head and sniffed again. This time it was so bad she had to pinch her nose with her thumb and index finger. Whatever it was smelled like dead, rotten animals.

To her left, a twig snapped. Elaina looked over in the direction it had come from.

"Prince Zuko," she called out.

No reply. Instead, she heard dead leaves crunching.

Elaina stood up. "Prince Zuko?" she called out again, louder this time. Once again, no reply.

Deciding it was probably just a squirrel-fox, Elaina turned around and started walking back. The temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees. Elaina pulled her cloak tighter against her. She abruptly stopped when she heard the leaves crunching again.

Her breath was coming out quickly now, forming white clouds around her mouth. The crunching was growing louder and getting closer. "Zuko?" she squeaked. Why wasn;t he answering?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some branches shake. Elaina turned and squinted. She could've sworn someone was standing behind it.

"Zuko, is that you?" she said.

The figure was gone.

Suddenly, Elaina was thrown to the ground. She screamed as she felt something heavy standing on top of her back. It snarled and kept her pinned down as she struggled. The thing sank its knife-like claws into her skin and dragged them across her back. Elaina screamed in agonizing pain.

The weight was suddenly off her back. She spun around and caught a brief glimpse of an animal jumping into the bushes.

She pushed herself up and began to run. Her back was causing her to feel a nauseating pain. It felt as though a thousand knives had cut into her flesh and a boulder had fallen on her. Whatever it was had caused some serious damage.

Elaina ran through the trees. She couldn't see anything but darkness in front of her. The trees spit her out, she stumbled, and ran into someone. She screamed out in terror.

Zuko grabbed her wrists to keep her from falling. He took in her appearance and stared at her in shock.

"What happened to you?" he exclaimed.

She looked up at Zuko, her eyes filled with terror. "It attacked me! It came out of nowhere and jumped on me!" she exclaimed.

Zuko looked towards the forest and walked towards it. Elaina fell to the ground overcome with nausea.

"What attacked you?" Zuko asked.

Elaina's cheeks were soaked with tears. "That _thing!_" she moaned. "I don't know. It just a-attacked me. I-I don't know what it was!" Elaina started rocking back and forth, close to having a panic attack.

Zuko walked back to her and kneeled. "Elaina, look at me," he said quietly.

She shook her head. If Zuko saw her crying, he'd think of her as weak.

"Elaina," he said again. Zuko placed his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. She looked up at him, ashamed.

"Whatever it was," he said calmly, "is gone. I'm not going to let it hurt you. Do you trust me?"

She was shocked by his calm attitude. The prince was patiently waiting for her reply, his eyes concerned. Elaina sniffled and nodded.

"I trust you," she whispered.

Zuko nodded and stood up. He held his hand out for her. "Come on. Let's go back to the ship."

Elaina tentatively took his hand. He had a strong, warm hand that tightly wrapped around hers. Elaina slowly stood up, her legs wobbly. Zuko let go of her hand and placed his on her arm. He guided her out of the forest and didn't let go of her arm once.

Elaina looked back at the forest. She couldn't help but feel watched.

**Yep, Razi and Elaina are now a thaaaaang. They'll have some stuff coming up in the next chapters. (: Actually, a lot of stuff is coming up. So R&R.**

**Especially R&R if you want to find out what that creature of the night thing was that just whooped Elaina's ass. You know you want to (:**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter 8, what what! I'm going to try reaaaally hard to get Chapter 9 up ASAP. Soccer season's over and cheer doesn't start for a few weeks, so I'll try! Other than that, read & review! [-:**

~*Chapter 8*~

Iroh nervously played with the rolled up scroll he was carrying as he walked down the hall leading to his nephew's room. As he got closer, he slowed down, considering turning around and forgetting about what he needed to do. Iroh looked in the opposite direction, then back to Zuko's bedroom door. He sighed. Someone needed to be the bearer of bad news.

Without knocking, Iroh entered Zuko's room and quietly shut the door. His nephew faced the opposite direction, kneeling in front of a long table covered with candles. The flames shrunk to tiny sparks when Zuko inhaled, then grew as he exhaled.

"You should not be interrupting me," Zuko said calmly, without turning to face Iroh.

"It's about the Avatar," Iroh said in reply. "But you may not like it."

Zuko exhaled again. "Uncle—you've taught me that a great leader keeps a healthy state of mind and temper even when faced with great challenges. Now whatever you need to tell me, I'm sure I can handle it."

"Okay. We have no idea where the Avatar is."

The flames exploded, reaching up to the ceiling. Zuko spun and faced his uncle. "What?"

Iroh pulled out a fan and fanned the smoke out of his face. "I told you, you would not like it."

Zuko grabbed the map and studied it furiously. "Uncle, how am I supposed to find him when he is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering?"

Iroh shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you put yourself in his shoes? Where would you go if you were the Avatar?"

"I'd go to the Fire Nation and have myself arrested!" Zuko snarled. He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Glad I could help," Iroh muttered to himself.

Zuko paced back and forth in the control room, trying to think. At the moment, he had absolutely no idea where to search for the Avatar. Should he go North where the Avatar would be looking for a waterbending master? Or what about East where some of the ancient, abandoned air temples were? Could the Avatar be hiding there?

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and someone walked in. Zuko turned and saw Elaina freeze in the doorway. The two caught eyes for a brief second before Elaina turned away.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," she muttered and backed out of the doorway.

"Elaina, wait."

She froze, her back turned to him. Zuko wasn't entirely sure what he wanted from her. Her help? Her advice? Her company? Come to think about it, he had only seen her once since the festival—she'd been on deck with Razi, staring at him admiringly. Zuko had only seen them for a brief second before he'd decided to go back inside.

"I wanted to talk to you… about the other night," he said slowly.

Elaina sighed and shut the door. Her eyes were wary and she looked tense. "There's really nothing to talk about," she said.

Zuko shook his head. He motioned for her to take a seat at the table. Slowly, almost cautiously, she sat down.

"I don't remember everything that happened… it's kind of a blur," Zuko said bitterly. He was embarrassed for being so irresponsible and having way too much to drink. The day after the festival, he'd stayed in his room all day with an awful hangover, feeling too sick to give orders. The one time he'd left his room was when he'd gone outside and seen Razi and Elaina. He'd gone back inside almost immediately.

Elaina picked at an invisible string on her shirt. "Well, what do you remember?"

"I remember most of the festival. I remember getting mad at you and saying stuff—I can't remember what I said, though. I also remember finding you in the woods and you were upset about something."

Elaina flinched at the last sentence. "It really doesn't matter." 

"Elaina," Zuko said sternly. "Tell me."

Defeated, she frowned and looked the other way. "You were mad at me because I kissed Razi and it embarrassed you. You told me you were going to fire me because I was such a disgrace to you. I got angry and called you a womanizer. That really made you angry. You yelled at me and called me…"

Zuko leaned forward. "What did I say, Elaina?"

Elaina looked down at the floor and said quietly, "You called me a slut…"

Zuko gripped the table, suddenly furious. _What's wrong with you?_ He mentally yelled at himself. _She's done nothing but help you and this is how you treat her?_

"It's really no big deal, I had no right—"she started.

"No," Zuko cut her off. "I'm sorry. _Very _sorry. What I said was uncalled for."

Elaina nodded. "I forgive you," she said. She looked up at him. "Can I go now?"

Sighing, Zuko nodded. Elaina awkwardly stood, nodded in respect, and slowly walked to the door. Zuko quietly watched. It was as though she was having difficulties walking. He heard her groan and she gripped her back. Before he could say anything about it, she was gone.

Zuko sat for a moment, silent. So many emotions were raging through him at once—anger at himself, concern for Elaina, and annoyance about the Avatar. Zuko rubbed his temples, trying to control the merciless headache threatening to take over.

The prince stood up and left, not wanting his emotions to get the best of him. He wandered aimlessly, not sure where to go. He was turning a corner when he ran into the last person he wanted to see.

Razi stared at the prince in annoyance. Zuko had to look up at the older man—he was an entire head taller. Zuko scowled.

"Watch where you're going," Zuko muttered and shoved past him. Razi snorted and cursed him out. Zuko's temper flared.

"Don't you have something to be doing, _scum?_ Like cleaning the floors and polishing the silverware?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe your workers might revolt against you if you keep treating us like this?" Razi demanded.

Zuko lost it then and got up in Razi's face. "I can have you arrested for treason faster than you can blink, you filthy son of a bitch. _Don't test me," _Zuko snarled.

Razi glared at him, his eyes filled with hatred. "I'm amazed Elaina hasn't quit yet."

Razi turned and walked the other way.

"Don't expect a paycheck for the next three months!" Zuko called after him.

He turned and punched the wall. Instantly, he regretted it, his hand throbbing from the pain. Zuko tightly clenched his teeth.

Could this day get any worse?

Iroh and Zuko sat together in their personal dining room during lunch. Zuko scarfed down his food, still angry about what had gone down with Razi. When Uncle Iroh had questioned him about his foul mood, Zuko had gone off on him too. His uncle didn't understand the stress he was dealing with and was just making things worse.

They now sat quietly, not looking at the other. The only sound made was from the silverware scraping against their plates.

The awkward silence was broken when Akeno entered the room. He bowed before the two and looked at the prince.

"Sir, we've found the Avatar. Sources say he's on Kyoshi Island."

Zuko stood up. "He's on Kyoshi Island? Kyoshi's close by, isn't it?"

"Yes sir, only a couple hours away. What would you like me to do?"

"Prepare the rhinos and get me about twenty men. I'm not letting him get away this time."

Akeno bowed. "Yes sir."

Zuko followed the other man out of the room. He heard his uncle's footsteps quickly following.

"Do you need any help, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko looked briefly over his shoulder. "I can handle this. Just stay here."

Iroh sighed and turned to go back to the dining room. "You know where to find me if you change your mind."

Zuko grimaced. He knew he should have his uncle help him. Iroh had been a great general. But then again, he had failed to conquer the great city of Ba Sing Se. It'd probably be best if Uncle just stayed at the ship.

Zuko walked through a doorway and ascended up the stairs. At the same time, Elaina had been preparing to walk down. She waited for Zuko to reach the top.

"I heard the Avatar's on Kyoshi," she said.

Zuko nodded. "You've heard correctly."

"Do you think we'll get him?" 

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, last time…"Elaina trailed off.

Zuko looked down and glared at her.

"Yeah, we'll most likely catch him," she said quickly.

Zuko stared at her a moment longer. The way she was walking had caught his attention….

"Elaina, what's wrong with your back?" he asked quietly.

Her head snapped towards him. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Zuko stopped before her. "I can tell you're lying."

Elaina crossed her arms. "I'm fine, Prince Zuko."

"Well then, why are you walking like that? Every time you move, it looks as though you're trying not to scream."

Elaina huffed. "It just hurts, okay? I'm _fine."_

Suddenly, a memory from the other night made its way into Zuko's brain. Elaina was on the forest floor, deeply upset. Her breathing came out in gasps and her eyes flashed around hysterically. _"It attacked me! It came out of nowhere and jumped on me!" _she had cried.

"Elaina, what attacked you the other night?"

Zuko's eyes remained on her face. Her annoyed expression turned to panic and fear, then quickly went back to annoyance. She shifted uncomfortably.

"It was probably just a large fox-dog," she replied, avoiding his eyes.

"Elaina…"

"Look, right now the only thing that's important is capturing the Avatar. So please, don't worry about me," she snapped.

"Fine," Zuko muttered. "I was just trying to help."

Elaina frowned. "Let's just forget about it. Now, remind me where I put my bow and arrows…."

Zuko guided his rhino through a path in the forest. He was followed by five rhinos with three men on each (including Elaina). The animals snorted as they carried everyone up the path. According to Akeno, the village was less than a mile away.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Zuko was beyond nervous. He'd had countless thoughts of failing and never being able to return home. The thought nearly made him insane. He was confident that he'd die if he couldn't return home within the next year.

The forest spit them out and the village was in full view now. The village was empty and deathly silent. Zuko quietly observed everything before him. He was able to spot a flash of green rush behind a building.

"Come out, Avatar. I know you're here. I'll burn this village down if I have to," Zuko called out.

No answer. Zuko turned to the others and motioned for them to start their search. He, however, stayed put. He had a pretty good idea of what might happen next….

Out of nowhere, eight figures dressed in green jumped out and attacked the men. The men were unprepared and went down easily. Those who had not been attacked, however, clumsily dismounted and fought back.

Zuko wasted no time. He shot fireballs at the enemy and threw punches and kicks at those who got too close. It didn't take him long to realize that his opponents were all females.

Zuko's rhino was surrounded by four warriors. The animal snorted and stomped its foot. Zuko eyed the women. He attacked with small, but deadly, flames that exploded out of his palms. The warriors blocked them with metal fans. One jumped for him. Zuko grabbed her by the wrist and flung her at another girl. He caught the third one by surprise with a fireball that exploded at her feet. The fourth one was not as easy to get rid of.

She was quick and skilled with her moves. She dodged each one of Zuko's attacks with her fans and even managed to throw a punch at him. Zuko growled. He threw his arms out in front of him and blasted fire. The fire trapped her on both sides and she fell back. Zuko raised his arm, ready to finish her off. Before he could release, someone knocked him off his rhino and onto the ground. Zuko was pinned down and struggled to free himself. He looked up and nearly died of laughter.

His attacker was not a Kyoshi warrior, but was dressed as one. The boy from the Southern Water Tribe who traveled with the Avatar had him pinned down. Why he was dressed as a girl, Zuko was not entirely sure.

"Fag," Zuko said.

The boy glared at him. "Prick." His hand formed a fist and he brought it down to punch Zuko.

Elaina jumped in and knocked him off before his fist had met Zuko's face. She pulled Zuko up and the two faced their opponents. By this time, the other four warriors were back. The Water Tribe boy's sister had also joined in.

Zuko bended fire at them and Elaina fought anyone who got too close. The waterbender met Zuko's attacks with her own. The two quarreled back and forth, neither willing to give up. Zuko realized that she had gotten better, too. She was barely able to keep up with his attacks.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko spotted something flying at him. He turned to see the Avatar on his staff flying full speed at him. Zuko ducked; Elaina wasn't so lucky. She hadn't been fast enough and received a kick to the side of the face. She now lay on the ground, unmoving.

The Avatar gracefully landed and turned to face Zuko. He briefly looked down at Elaina and guilt flashed through his eyes. Zuko used this distraction to his advantage.

He sent the Avatar flying backward with a fireball. He continued moving forward with each attack. The young boy was having trouble blocking his fiery attacks.

A Kyoshi warrior managed to sneak up on Zuko and knock him off his feet. When he tried to get back up, she kicked him in the stomach. Zuko fell back to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Zuko watched in defeat as the Avatar and his friends climbed on their bison and flew away.

Zuko pulled himself up and looked at the fight. His men had gained control and the warriors had begun to retreat. Zuko growled. He ran over to Elaina, who was still unconscious, and picked her up. He ran over to his men and started shouting orders.

"Quick! Back to the ship, we can still catch up to him," he shouted.

The men began scampering onto the remaining two rhinos. Zuko handed Elaina over to one of the other men and hopped on. Right when he was going to kick his rhino into motion, he looked up and gasped.

Then was drenched by gallons and gallons of seawater.

Zuko's body temperature heated up and the water began to steam. He heard a roar come from the direction of the sea. He groaned. Stupid eunagi monster.

After changing into warm, dry clothes, Zuko went to check up on Elaina. Elaina had gone in and out of consciousness on the ride back to the ship. When they'd gotten back, Zuko had had the ship's doctor check for signs of a concussion. Zuko had been told she was fine and would be out for a while due to the medicine she'd been given.

Zuko pushed the door open and quietly entered the room. The sun was just now setting, giving him enough light so he could see. He carefully stepped through her messy bedroom.

Zuko reached her bed and quietly sat down. She was fast asleep, her body rising and falling with each breath. A bandage had been placed over her wound and a tiny spot of blood had seeped through. He tentatively reached out and touched the bandage. Under it he could feel a large bump forming.

The prince sighed and scratched his head. He was relieved that nothing seriously bad had happened to her. He wasn't sure what he would've done had she been seriously hurt.

Zuko turned his head and found himself staring at her back. He wondered what had really happened to her. The way she had been walking for the last three days made it very clear that she was in unbearable pain.

Curious, Zuko gently touched her back. He didn't feel any bumps. His hand trailed down to the hemline of her shirt and he found himself gripping the fabric. Zuko paused. If Elaina woke up or if someone walked in, they'd get the wrong idea and Zuko would be in a hell of a lot of trouble. He let go of her shirt and moved his hand back a few inches. But then again, he was extremely curious to what was wrong with her. His hand moved forward again, then back, then forward. Finally, he decided he would take a quick look to make sure everything was okay.

He slowly pulled her shirt up and nearly cursed out loud by what he saw. Three, deep, long cuts blemished her back, going from her left shoulder all the way to the top of the right side of her waist. Her skin was a disgusting color of black, blue, purple, and green bruises. Zuko quickly pulled her shirt back down, overcome with nausea. He looked at her once more before getting up and leaving.

Outside, Zuko leaned against the wall and breathed deeply. How had he not noticed? Surely, her shirt must've been ripped or blood had gotten on his hands. Then again, he'd been wasted beyond belief and probably wouldn't have even noticed the Avatar doing jumping-jacks before him. A new-found hatred for himself took over. Had he not flipped out on her, she wouldn't have gone into the forest. All this was his fault. Why did he always have to screw up?

Zuko pushed himself off the wall and sulked back to his room. He didn't answer the door to anyone for any reason for the rest of the night.

**A/: Read & review! (: **


	9. Chapter 9

**~*Chapter 9*~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. I wish I did…**

The late morning sun was unusually warm. A good majority of the crew had decided to spend their break basking in the sunlight and were scattered in small groups along the deck. They happily chatted with one another and felt fresh and energetic. The unusual weather helped them to charge up the fire within, causing them to feel more powerful than they had in weeks.

Elaina quietly emerged from the ship and joined everyone on deck. A bandage covered the wound on her face and a large bruise had begun to form. She'd finally escaped her unconscious state early that morning. The doctor had checked her over and allowed her to leave her room for some fresh air. She was off work, however, until further notice.

Elaina walked over to the ship's railing and watched the blue water splash against the ship. The soothing melody of the water helped to distract her from her throbbing head. Unfortunately, it did nothing for her back. The pain had been dulled due to the medicine she'd been given, but still caused her merciless pain. Every movement she made felt like someone was stabbing her.

Elaina heard footsteps behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Prince Zuko join her by the side of the railing. He didn't look at her, but instead kept his eyes focused on the crashing waves.

"Nice weather, huh?" Elaina asked.

Zuko nodded in agreement. "How do you feel?"

Elaina's hand went up to the side of her face. "Drowsy, I guess. And a little bit cloudy."

"You should be in bed," Zuko replied quietly. "You could have something a lot more serious."

"I just got kicked," she protested. She eyed the prince suspiciously. "Something's bothering you, Your Highness. Is something wrong?"

Zuko finally looked at her. He looked as though he hadn't gotten any sleep; his eyes were blood shot and his skin was paler than usual.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course," she replied, a little bit confused. This wasn't a typical behavior of Zuko's. Something was clearly wrong.

"Last night I went to check on you. You know, to make sure you weren't seriously hurt or brain dead or something like that. And…" he trailed off.

"And?" Elaina asked.

"I saw that… _mark _on your back," Zuko finished.

Elaina's breath caught in her throat. "Excuse me?"

The prince's face was blank but his eyes darted around, looking at everything but her. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I knew something was up but you wouldn't admit it. So I checked for myself and—"

"Wait, what do you mean you checked for yourself?" she demanded.

Zuko paused, unsure how to answer. She understood him then.

Elaina's temper exploded. "Ugh, you _creep!"_

Zuko's eyes widened. "Elaina, those were _not _my intentions!"

"I don't care what your intentions were! I told you I was fine," she exclaimed.

Zuko threw his arms up. "It looked as though you were mauled by a saber toothed moose lion!"

Elaina turned away from him. Zuko stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. She spun around and shoved him away from. Wordlessly, Zuko stared at her.

Elaina narrowed her eyes. "Prince or not, you had _no right _doing that. I'm going to say it again: I'm _fine. _Just worry about your stupid little Avatar, okay?" she hissed.

Elaina stomped off, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. She knew her face must have matched the color of her hair.

Once she was back inside the ship, she leaned against the wall. How could Zuko do this to her? She had been such a good servant and this was how he repaid her? She never wanted to look at him again!

A wild idea came to her: what if she quit? She could go back out there and tell him she was done. She could then hide in one of the nations for a while. Then, she could write to Will Sydney. It had been a while since she'd been in contact with him. Maybe by now this whole problem had been figured out and she could return home. Even if it wasn't, Will could probably find a place in Padraic for her to hide.

It was official, then: Elaina would be gone by tomorrow.

Will Sydney walked down a long, quiet alleyway, deep in his thoughts. Ever since this trouble had unraveled, Queen Perdita and her family occupied his mind night and day.

He had gone through hundreds, _no thousands, _of possibilities of what Perdita could have done to put their family in this situation. The fact that she couldn't remember anything about that night was no help either. Will and Perdita had tried all sorts of things to get her to remember. So far, they'd had no success.

Will, distracted by his thoughts, was caught off guard when a pair of strong hands grabbed him. He was thrown against the wall and his arms were pinned by his sides. Will blinked, trying to clear the black dots from his vision.

"Sir Garrett?" Will asked, entirely shocked. "What are you doing?"

Garrett, the second child of Perseus and Ebony, was an entire head taller than Will. He bore the same resemblance to Perdita with light brown hair and green eyes. Only his eyes, which were currently blazing, did not have the same mischievous glint that Perdita had.

"I need answers and you're the one with them," Garrett replied, his voice cold.

"You're not going to get anywhere by threatening me," Will said. He refused to look away from the man's eyes.

Garrett remained quiet for a moment. Slowly, he released Will from his grasp and stepped back.

Will sighed and rubbed his sore arms. "Now that we've taken care of that, what might I tell you?"

Garrett threw his arms up. "Everything! Why my sister and father are in jail? Why I can't leave my chambers without being interrogated by soldiers? Where the hell my sister is?"

Will frowned. "Perdita said you knew."

"I know what everyone else knows. Perdita had an affair, my father tried to make a deal with Alir, and Elaina disappeared in the night. That's all I know."

"I'm afraid that's mainly all I know as well. Except I do know of Elaina's whereabouts—sort of," Will added.

Garrett's green eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

Will looked around cautiously. They were a good ten feet away from anyone, but he didn't want to risk anything. Will motioned for the other man to follow him deeper into the alleyway.

Will lowered his voice and said, "Your sister is hiding on a ship that belongs to the prince of the Fire Nation. I'm not sure where they are at the moment but I'm positive she's still with him."

Garrett's face turned a deep shade of red. He opened his mouth and managed to spit out, "What the hell is she doing in the _Fire Nation?"_

"Well, she's not exactly in the Fire Nation," Will corrected.

"Oh, who cares? The thing that matters is that she's on a Fire Nation ship! Whose sick idea was that?" Garrett exclaimed.

Will uncomfortably played with his collar. "Your mother's…."

_"Mother? _No! You're lying."

"It was her idea," Will replied calmly. "She heard the ship was in town and asked me to make sure Elaina safely boarded"

Garret leaned back against one of the buildings. He suddenly looked sick and helpless.

"Everything I've ever known is suddenly changing. The Fire Nation is unnatural, _evil. _My father hates them more than anyone else. It seems as though my family's world has been turned upside down," Garrett muttered.

Will nodded in agreement. He felt pity for the man, but quickly banished it. He knew Garrett didn't want to be pitied right now.

"I know this is hard for you, but you need to trust me. I'm working my hardest to try and fix all this. I promise you it will be better. Oh, and don't worry about Elaina—she's been doing pretty well."

Garrett straightened himself and a blank expression replaced the earlier one of desperation. "Of course. Let me know of any updates immediately. Good day, Mr. Sydney."

"Good day," Will murmured. He watched as Garrett was sucked into the crowd and disappeared.

Will massaged his temples. Where was Elaina? He wished he knew so he could comfort her family. They were falling apart more and more each day.

Razi knocked on Elaina's door and waited for her to answer. He heard her shuffling around on the other side of the door. He heard the lock click and he was greeted by a stressed out looking Elaina.

"Oh," she said uncertainly. "Hi."

Razi grinned at her and took her hand. She flinched. "Where have you been all day? I miss seeing you."

"Just resting," Elaina replied, refusing to meet his eyes.

Razi craned his neck, trying to look into her room. "You seem jumpy. What's up?" 

Elaina frowned. "I'm just busy, that's all."

Razi pushed past her and let himself into her room. His eyes studied the almost empty room. On her bed was a messenger bag filled with clothes and scrolls.

"Going somewhere?" Razi asked.

Elaina didn't answer and continued to look at anything but him. Razi frowned.

"What is it, Elaina? You're not telling me something."

She finally looked at him, her eyes secretive and untrusting. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much. Why can't you trust me?"

Razi took a step back and said, "I never said that I couldn't trust you. What's gotten into you? Ever since the other night you've been acting different."

_"Nothing _is the matter," she snapped.

"I'm just trying to help," he said. He pointed to her bag. "Now, where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter where I'm going, I'm just _going," _Elaina replied.

"That makes no sense at all."

Elaina's eyes were blazing, her face turning bright red. "I'm leaving this damned ship! Are you happy now?"

Razi stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. He moved forward and pulled her to him, despite her protests. Slowly, he bent down and covered her mouth with his. At first she hesitated, but soon gave in, pulling him closer to her.

After a few short moments, she ended the kiss and buried her face into his shoulder. Razi stood silently, thinking to himself. Once he was sure she'd calmed down, he attempted asking her again.

"Please tell me why you want to leave," Razi whispered.

Elaina sighed and pulled back from him. "Razi…."

"No, I want to know. It's obviously important if it's bothering you so much."

"I _really _don't want to talk about it," Elaina begged.

"Is it about me?"

"No! You've done nothing wrong."

` "Is it about Zuko?"

The very name seemed to send a new fire through her eyes. She tried to conceal it but Razi knew.

He spun around and left the room. In the distance, he could hear Elaina calling for him, questioning him. Razi reached the staircase and took the steps two at a time. He reached the floor he was looking for and walked quickly.

Without knocking, Razi barged into the meeting room. Prince Zuko, Shen, and Second Lieutenant Fenyeng were gathered around the table. They all looked up at the low-ranked soldier.

"This better be about the Avatar," Zuko snapped.

Razi turned to look at the two officers. "Both of you—out."

"You have no right to give my men orders!" Zuko exclaimed.

Razi looked at him with such hatred that the prince fell silent. "You wouldn't want them to hear about this."

Zuko nodded at the two men and they left the room. He turned his heated gaze to the lowly older man.

"You have a lot of nerve, Zuko," Razi spat.

Zuko blew steam out of his mouth. "How dare you talk to me as though I am your equal?"

"How dare you lay a hand on my girlfriend!" Razi exclaimed.

Zuko's eyes widened. He clenched his fists and said slowly, "She had the wrong idea about my intentions. Whatever she told you is a lie."

"She didn't tell me anything. All I had to do was look into her eyes to know that you did something to her."

Zuko scoffed. "Oh, so you can read minds now? I did nothing to her, so you can go tell her she's wasting her time crying over this."

Razi felt a rage like never before. It took all his strength not to kill the bastard then and there. "Did you know that she's leaving?"

"What do you mean she's leaving?"

"I mean _quitting."_

Zuko took a step back. He studied Razi's eyes to see if he was lying. "She can't just quit! I won't allow it!"

The prince pushed past Razi and stomped down the hall, descended the staircase, and made his way to Elaina's room. The door was wide open and Zuko walked in, shutting the door in Razi's face. Elaina stared, dumbfounded and at a loss of words.

"What's this nonsense of you quitting about?" Zuko demanded. He heard Razi enter the room but kept his eyes on Elaina.

The girl turned to Razi and stared at him accusingly. "You brought him here?"

Before he could answer, Zuko cut him off. "I came here myself. Now answer my question."

"She doesn't have to do anything," Razi cut in.

Zuko turned to him, ready to unleash his wrath. Elaina quickly moved from her bed and in between the two men.

"Razi, it'd be best if you left," Elaina said harshly. "This doesn't involve you."

"Elaina—"

"_Go._"

Razi shut his mouth and stared at her a moment longer. He sighed and left the room in defeat.

Once he was gone, the two remained quiet. The atmosphere was tense and one word could send them to the breaking point. Zuko huffed and broke the silence.

"I will not repeat myself again. Now answer the question, girl," Zuko said, his voice dripping with the authority of a royal.

Elaina turned to him. Her icy blue eyes held his fiery amber ones. "I've made the decision to resign. I'll be heading back to Padraic by morning."

Zuko stared at her in amazement. She had absolutely lost her mind! "If this is about what happened this morning, you're overreacting."

"Am I? I'm pretty sure that I have every right to behave this way," she replied.

"How many times do I have to say it? My intentions were not dishonorable," Zuko said, throwing his arms up.

Elaina crossed the room and got up in his face. Had Zuko not been about to explode with anger, he might've laughed. Elaina was much shorter than him and here she was, trying to come off as intimidating.

"That's how you might see it," she hissed. "I know how you royals work. You think you're on top of the world and you could care less about the people around you. We're inferior to you. This makes you think you have every right to use us as your play toys. But you're wrong, so, _so _wrong."

Zuko was almost at his breaking point. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his voice even. "I'm going to make this as clear as I can: I did _nothing_ to you. And I'll give you three reasons why."

"And what might those be?"

Zuko raised a finger as he counted off his reasons. "One—you're Padraican, I'm Fire Nation. That one I don't even need to go further in depth. Two—I'm a royal. If I actually was desperate enough for a female companion, I could have any noble's daughter. Hell, I could have any man's daughter. And three, you are not even close to my type. You're whiny, you have a temper, and you're disrespectful. There's also the fact that my people _hate _anti-benders, so you would be an insult to them. Finally, you're features are…_too exotic _for my liking. Have I made myself clear?"

Elaina stared at him once again dumbfounded. Zuko sighed. "You will not quit, Elaina. You will be back to work once you've fully recovered and I will hear no more of this problem. Understood?"

Elaina's mouth shut and her lips were pressed tightly against each other. She refused to answer.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Zuko said. He turned and left the room, leaving her to feel more insulted than she ever had before.

Later that night, Zuko sat in front of his fireplace and stared at it, his face expressionless. The prince absentmindedly tore his nails as he sat, deep in thought. Zuko hadn't felt the need to apologize to Elaina even though a very feint voice in his head had nagged him about it.

Zuko didn't turn when the door to his chamber was opened. Someone shuffled across the floor and came to stand by his side. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw his uncle.

"Yes?" Zuko murmured.

Iroh remained silent. After a long time, Zuko looked up at the aging man. The old man's eyes were sad and weary.

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asked, his voice unusually concerned.

Iroh sighed. "Elaina's gone."

Zuko shot up. He looked at his uncle, his eyes full of disbelief. "What? What do you mean she's gone?"

"I mean she's gone, Prince Zuko. Her room is empty."

"So? She's probably just in Razi's room."

Iroh shook his head. "No one's seen her for hours. We've searched the entire ship. A few discoveries have been made. A lifeboat is missing as well as a few things from the kitchen and artillery room. She's gone, nephew," Iroh said quietly.

Zuko pushed past him and ran to her room. He swung the door open, only to find it empty and dark. Zuko stood there, panic rising in him.

Elaina was gone. She'd actually left them. And it was all because of him.

**A/N: I am so sorry to make everyone wait so long for these chapters. My New Year's resolution is to post them faster…hopefully.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I know you all probably want to kill me right now. I can't even remember the last time I updated… Yeah, I'm bad. But after a seriously bad case of writer's block, I'm back! Yayyy! So I hope you enjoy. I'm going to start the next chapter as soon as I post this so hopefully it will be up by the end of the week. I'm going on vacation Friday and I wanted to get it out of the way. Feel free to give me any advice and R&R! They make my day Okay, I'll shut up now. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! ATLA is Nickelodeon's!**

**~*Chapter 10*~**

The prince could care less that Elaina was gone—well at least that was what he told everyone.

The morning after Elaina's departure, a meeting for the crew was held. They gathered into the room, some in chairs, others standing against the wall. Each of them glanced over to the empty chair Elaina would have been in.

A few seats down sat the prince, looking bored as could be. His face rested against the back of his hand, leaving a red blotch on the non-scarred side of his face.

"And that concludes the financial part of today's meeting," a crew member said. Too bad Zuko couldn't remember his name.

The prince stretched out, raising his arms high above his head. "And what about the Avatar?"

The man frowned. What was his name again? Zyon? Faraji? Oh well, it did not matter. Zuko just wanted to hear about the Avatar.

"I'm afraid there's nothing new about the Avatar," the man replied.

Zuko slammed his fist on the table causing everyone to flinch. His usually alabaster skin turned bright red as he was filled with rage.

"_Why not_?" he growled.

Zyon-Faraji cringed under the prince's fiery stare. "Well sir, that's not, um, my job. I'm in charge o-of finance…"

Once again the room flinched as the prince shot up, knocking his chair over. He pointed an accusing finger at Zyon-Faraji.

"Your job is to find the Avatar for me. You should devote your _life _to that. He is the only thing that will bring my honor back!"

Zuko turned from them. Inhaling, he tried to control his growing temper. The fire continued to spread and soon it was consuming him. Zuko spun to face them again, his eyes darting around wildly.

"You all should be devoting yourselves to finding him! Instead, you just look for ways to piss me off! I don't care who you are, you're going to devote yourself to finding him. I don't care if you work on the engines—you're going to find him. If you work in the control room, guess what? You're going to find him! _Fuck, _even the cooks should be looking!"

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh cried in horror.

All eyes turned to the cooks standing awkwardly at the back of the room. They averted their eyes and picked at their stained uniforms.

"Things better start to change around here or I'm cutting all your paychecks," Zuko snapped. He picked his chair back up and dropped into it. "Well let's hurry this up; who's next?"

Hesitantly, a new man stepped up and read his news. Zuko zoned out once more, inspecting his palms. He scowled; his firebending was starting to go downhill. In the last week, he'd managed to burn himself five times.

Tension in the room was high as the meeting continued. Zuko paid no attention whatsoever unless the Avatar was brought up. Finally, Zuko shooed his men away.

As the room cleared out, Iroh grabbed his nephew by the elbow.

"A word," Iroh hissed.

Zuko stared down at his guardian and wrenched free from his grip. He took a step back and leaned against the table, crossing his arms over his chest. Once it was just the two of them, Iroh shut the door.

When he looked back at the prince, his face was bright red. "Are you trying to start a mutiny?"

"I'm putting them in their place. They should know better than to test my authority," Zuko replied sternly.

Iroh shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. "My nephew, you're doing this all wrong. You cannot go about with such anger towards the crew."

The temperature of the room steadily began to rise, as well as the prince's anger. "Who are you to criticize me? It's my crew and I'll treat them however I please!"

"Is this about Elaina?"

As soon as the question slipped from Iroh's mouth, he knew it was a mistake. Zuko's amber eyes flared.

"It has nothing to do with _her! _Elaina's a traitor! She's a spy! She's a…she's a bitch!"

And with that he stormed out of the room.

Many miles away on a small island, Elaina slowly sulked down a dirt path. She had been on this road for hours now hoping it might lead to a village. Her empty stomach growled ferociously.

Elaina had arrived to the tiny island late last night. After rowing for spirits knew how long, her arms felt like jelly. All she really wanted to do was lie down and sleep for the next ten years.

As she trudged on, she fell into a haze. The moment she'd arrived on the island, she knew she'd made a huge mistake. Zuko's ship had been the best place for her to hide. No one on it knew who she really was and they hardly ever went to shore (unless the Avatar was there, of course). Even better, they weren't near Padraic or any other anti-bending country.

How could she have been so stupid? Elaina let her temper get the best of her over practically _nothing._ True, Zuko had been pretty perverted coming into her room and looking at her marks. And yes, he was a _huge _pain in the ass. But leaving over that? Oh, how she wanted to slap herself repeatedly!

The path went slightly downhill and to her luck there was a tiny village at the bottom. A tiny smile formed on Elaina's face. At least _something _was going her way.

Elaina pulled her hood up and joined the rest of the crowd in the tiny market place. Her mouth began to water uncontrollably. All types of aromas filled the air.

Elaina went to one of the vendors. She bought a steamy cup of soup with two pieces of bread. Elaina took a large bite of the bread and sighed. She hadn't tasted anything this good since living in Padraic.

Within no time she finished her meal and was happily stuffed. A light rain had started, causing the crowd to thin out. Elaina went back to the dirt road she'd come in on. The trees provided cover from the icy drops.

Elaina took a turn on the road and came across a sign covered in flyers. Most of them were promoting job openings or events coming up. There was a flyer for a dance class and one for a bending seminar. Multiple pictures of the Avatar covered the board, all promising large amounts of reward money. A few other wanted posters here and there.

Elaina's eyes fell on a picture towards the bottom of the board. Was that…?

"Holy spirits," Elaina gasped.

She ripped the poster off and stared at her picture in horror.

"WANTED," it read at the top, "for high treason against the king of Padraic, Alir. Elaina of the Osala family, daughter of the Lord and Lady Osala and sister of Queen Perdita, is very dangerous. She is believed to be hiding in the fire nation. Fifty-thousand gold pieces will be rewarded to the person to bring her back. Must be brought back ALIVE."

_Treason against the king? _Elaina had never done anything to her brother-in-law! She hardly ever spoke to him either!

The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. She felt like she was being watched at that moment. Her eyes darted around crazily. A squirrel skunk scurried by. Raindrops fell from the leaves. A twig snapped in the distance.

Elaina shoved the poster into her bag. She needed help. _Now. _

If there was one thing Zuko truly despised, it was practicing his bending in the rain. He had always noticed his bending was not as powerful when it rained. However, today was not the day to put off practice. They were onto the Avatar and Zuko predicted they were just a few miles behind.

Zuko brushed off the beads of water covering his bare arms. He took up his stance and sent three fireballs at the target he'd set up. The fireballs blackened the target but didn't do anything else to damage it. Zuko growled in frustration.

He wanted to blame the weather for his bending but he knew it was more than that. Not that he would admit it or anything.

Zuko sighed and tried again. This time he completely missed the target. Zuko scowled.

"Stupid rain," he muttered.

Taking up his stance for the third time, Zuko sent three more fireballs at the target. They were all lousy, small things that dissolved quickly.

Zuko shouted in anger and attacked the target with a wall of fire. The target was engulfed in flames and began to sizzle.

The prince breathed in deeply, his shoulders shaking.

_Forget her_, he thought to himself. She was gone and no longer one of his problems.

Zuko took a deep breath to calm himself. He turned to one of his men and ordered him to fetch a new target.

There wasn't a place in the world that felt safe anymore. Behind every door someone was waiting for Elaina. At any moment she could be captured and brought back to Padraic. The place she had once called "home" was now what she feared the most.

After discovering her wanted poster, Elaina knew she needed to do something. Disguising herself as much as she could, Elaina went back to town. She had to inform Will of this.

Keeping her head down, Elaina bought the things she needed. She wrote a brief letter to Will, informing him of the trouble she was in.

Her next priority was to find her way back to Zuko. She knew it was very unlikely he would take her back. Zuko would be the first one to turn her in if he knew who she was. But then again, Zuko was so busy hunting the Avatar he might not notice. Either way it was worth the shot.

Luckily for her, there was a dock near the village. Elaina scanned the boats from afar, narrowing down her options. When she found the perfect one, she made her way to it.

Elaina walked over to a man with a gray beard. He was busy washing down his boat.

"Is this your boat?" she asked.

The man looked up and glared at her. "She ain't for sale."

"I'm not looking for something to buy. I need to get somewhere."

"What does this look like, a ferry?" he snorted.

"I'll pay you."

"No can-do missy. Find someone else."

Elaina tapped her foot impatiently. She was running out of options.

"I know where the Avatar is. And what they're paying for him is pretty high," Elaina said.

That got his attention. He looked at her suspiciously. "You know where he is?"

Elaina smiled darkly. "I technically found him. If you take me where I need to be, I'll give you all the information. _And_ I'm willing to pay."

The man stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "Deal!"

Elaina shook it. She'd be back to Zuko in no time.

Simple as that.

**A/N: I'll try to have Chapter 11 up ASAP!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry it's a little late :( Better than waiting three months haha. Please, please, please review! I swear I'll go to your profile and look at all of your awesome, amazing stories and review them. Pretty please with a cherry on top? :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**A:TLA.**_

~*Chapter 11*~

The early morning sun cast shadows across the land. It was a brisk, chill morning; snow was predicted later in the day. Everything was quiet and peaceful.

The peaceful serenity was ruined as the fire prince and his men rode on their galloping rhinos. The thunderous footsteps of the animals echoed across the land. The heavy animals snorted in protest as they were pushed on.

Ever since late last night, Prince Zuko had been chasing the Avatar. Above him, the flying bison roared. Two brown faces were peeping over the edge of its saddle.

"Fire!" Zuko shouted at his men. As one, they sent a raging fireball at the animal. With great speed, the bison avoided their attack.

Zuko scowled. He and his men were exhausted. They needed to capture the Avatar before the predicted snow arrived. His rhinos were practically useless in the snow.

The men made their way downhill and Zuko signaled for another attack. This time they managed to scorch the animal's paw. It roared in pain and began to sway to the side. Zuko grinned. The Avatar would have to land the injured animal.

Zuko watched in amazement as the peasant girl leaned over the saddle. Her arms moved gracefully as she bended the precipitation in the air to form a large ball of water. She pushed her arms forward and sent it towards the animal's paw. She continued doing this until she had successfully extinguished the flames.

_Someone's been practicing_, he thought.

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the wind begin to howl. The trees began to shake violently and his ponytail flipped around in the wind. Zuko looked up and saw the Avatar moving his arms around wildly. And boy, did he look pissed.

The Avatar threw his arms out in front of him. Zuko and his men were ripped off the backs of the rhinos and flew backwards. Zuko hit the ground with a loud _thud_ and continued to bounce backwards. Finally, he skidded to a stop with a mouthful of dirt.

Zuko spit the dirt out of his mouth, the coppery taste of blood becoming prominent. The men around him groaned in pain. Zuko managed to get on all fours, his body throbbing in pain. His nose started to bleed and a crimson line made its way over his lips and down his chin.

Zuko watched in fury as the Avatar flew away.

After a long, painful journey back to the ship, Zuko dismissed the men so they could tend to their wounds. Zuko limped up the stairs, groaning as he made his way up. Every step was agonizing; he knew he would be sore for quite some time. All he wanted to do was fill his tub with hot water and fall asleep.

But that was not an option; Zuko knew he needed to plan their next mission. With an injured animal, the Avatar would not be able to travel and he would have to stop for the night.

This was Zuko's opportunity. The Avatar was not getting away this time. Especially after all the damage he had caused.

Zuko shut his bedroom door behind him and plopped down on his mattress. He sighed—he would allow himself just a minute to rest.

Right when he had gotten comfortable, there was a knock at the door. Zuko groaned.

"What?" he called in annoyance.

The door opened and Uncle Iroh came in. Zuko didn't bother getting up.

"What?" he asked again.

His uncle kept his face neutral, but his eyes shone with excitement. "Someone's here to see you."

Zuko lifted his head. "Is it the Avatar?"

"No," Iroh replied.

Zuko dropped his head back onto the mattress and rolled over onto his stomach. "Tell them to go away," he muttered into his pillow.

Iroh pulled his nephew's sleeve. "Come on now."

Zuko screamed into his pillow. Could he not get any peace and quiet around here?

Zuko got up and shoved past his uncle. "Where are they?"

"Control room," Iroh said.

The prince's fists clenched. The last thing he wanted to do right now was deal with Zhao or some other obnoxious commander.

The walk took longer than usual. The prince's sore limbs made it difficult to walk. He bit the inside of his mouth as he made his way up the final set of stairs. Zuko reached the control room and swung the door open.

"What do you want, Zhao?" Zuko asked angrily when he entered the room.

He stopped abruptly when he saw who it was.

Elaina leaned against the window, her arms folded across her chest. Her red hair was pulled into a neat bun and she wore a red shirt and black pants. She stared at Zuko, her face blank, her eyes betraying nothing.

Zuko slowly shut the door behind him. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here," he growled.

"Nice to see you, too," Elaina muttered.

Zuko slammed his fist on the table, making her flinch. "Don't even start with me, Elaina."

Elaina turned away from his harsh glare. She waited patiently for him to calm down.

"Why are you here?" the prince asked.

"To ask for your forgiveness," she replied.

Zuko let out a bitter laugh. "Forgiveness? You think after all you've done I would forgive you? Forget it, Elaina. You're too much trouble."

"I understand you're angry with me. I've been completely out of line and had no right to behave that way," Elaina said. Her eyes were sincere as she said it. "These last few days have allowed me to think and I now know your actions were not dishonorable. So please, Your Highness, forgive me?"

The prince looked at her in disgust. "Do you truly think I can forgive you? The things you accused me of were ridiculous and made me look like a pervert. You embarrassed me in front of my crew. And the things you had that insolent bastard say to me! You're lucky I didn't ship him back to the Fire Nation for execution. That's why you're here, isn't it? Because you _miss Razi_?" he asked mockingly.

"No, Prince Zuko—"

He cut her off. Zuko's temper was rising. He was going to give it to her.

"You had so much potential, Elaina. None of the crew worked as hard as you and you were constantly improving," Zuko told her, meaning every single word. Elaina had looked away from him, staring at the floor.

"But then you and Razi got involved. He destroyed any potential you could have had and turned you into some love-struck-poodle-monkey. He fed your mind with lies."

Zuko walked towards her, staring at her intently. "Whatever he told you about me is a lie. I'm no 'womanizer.' I don't just pick girls up and do what I please with them. I have a reputation and need to focus on capturing the Avatar. I wouldn't risk my honor just to mess around with some whore."

Elaina finally looked up at him. She looked tired and ashamed. "I know that now and was foolish to ever believe it. You're the most honorable man I know, Prince Zuko."

While her words might have been touching to someone else, they did not fool Zuko. He pointed towards the door.

"I don't want to hear your lies. Go."

Elaina's eyes flashed between Zuko and the door. She stood up straighter.

"Prince Zuko, please reconsider. I know you won't admit it, but you know you need me. I can help you capture the Avatar."

"Then why don't I have him yet?" he roared. "Had it not been for you and your shenanigans!"

"I'll leave Razi!" Elaina shouted back. "Anything it takes! I will do _whatever _you need."

The room was dead silent. They stared at each other, breathing heavily.

Zuko turned away from her. "Leave my ship. You've caused enough trouble."

"Prince Zuko, please," she begged quietly.

"Go!" Zuko snapped, pointing towards the door.

Zuko leaned against the table, pressing his palms against the cool metal. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard Elaina walk out of the room and close the door.

After being rejected by the prince, Elaina had wandered far from his ship. The journey was blurry; she had been too distracted by her failure to know where she was going. So badly did she want to run back there and try a second time. Maybe the prince would reconsider if she had a stronger argument? No, no that would not work—he had already made up his mind.

Elaina still was not fully aware of what was going on until the sound of a fallen acorn hitting the ground caught her attention. She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings; she was deep in the forest, surrounded by massive trees. Fog filled the air, rolling and spilling out over low branches. The air was icy cold and made breathing difficult.

Elaina sighed and slowly plopped down, leaning against one of the trees. She was finished—there was no place to hide and no one to trust. Surely she would be captured any day now and sent back to Padraic. Then she would be tried for false crimes.

The realization finally hit her—she could be in jail soon. There would be no one to defend her. She could not think of a single person who would fight against the king for her. Not even Will Sydney could help her.

Elaina curled into a ball as the nightmares took over. What if she was tortured? Could they do that? Of course they could! She was being tried for treason!

_But why? _Elaina wanted to shout to the world. What could she possibly have done to land herself in this position? Her entire life she had been a loyal, obedient citizen. Why did the king harbor so much hatred towards her family?

That was another question Elaina wanted answers to. One minute her family thrived on power and respect, the next they were falling into an endless black hole. Was it something her father had done? Or Perdita? But Perdita and Alir had been so happy together? So why the hell was she facing the possibility of an execution?

Elaina's thoughts stopped abruptly. She wasn't going to be jailed or tortured. She was 'guilty' of treason, making her a _traitor_. She was going to be _executed. _

Elaina shot up, not able to breathe. She gasped for air as she gripped her sides. The realization that she would soon be dead made her panic. What was even worse was that she did not know _when. _Any day now she could be dead.

Elaina dropped to her knees. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to let loose. This was all too much for her; no one should ever have to deal with this. How had her life gone from perfectly normal to absolutely chaotic? What had she done to deserve this?

The first snowfall of the year touched the ground at the same time Elaina let one, lone tear fall.

While his men saddled up the rhinos, Zuko stood alone on the deck. He wore a red cloak lined with thick Water Tribe bison fur. He remained still as he watched the clouds above sprinkle white snowflakes on the earth. The snow fell from above, resting on Zuko's thick eyelashes, jet black hair, and cloak. Slowly, he held his hand out and caught a few flakes in his palm. They melted almost instantly.

"Are you sure you want to go now?" he heard his uncle say from behind. "This is going to be quite the blizzard."

"The Avatar couldn't have gotten far. He's tired and his bison's injured. I'll take this as a perfect opportunity," Zuko replied.

"Very well," Iroh said.

The two remained silent. Zuko could hear his uncle fidget behind him.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh started slowly. "Are you sure not taking Elaina back was a good idea?"

The prince continued to stare ahead of him. "We're not having this conversation now."

"Nephew—"

"No, uncle," Zuko snapped. He turned to face his elder. "I made my decision and I'm not turning my back on it. So leave it alone."

Iroh sighed. He turned to head back inside. "I just wish you would reconsider," Iroh said before closing the door.

Zuko faced forward again. That was a wish he would never make happen.

**A/N: Hope you liked it :) I don't know when I'll have Chapter 12 up, I'm going on vacation next week, so I'll try to write it while I'm gone. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**A:TLA.**_

~*Chapter 12*~

Will Sydney was not sure whether to be worried or absolutely furious.

He reread the letter he had received from Elaina over and over again until the words blurred together. His fists clenched together. How could she have been so stupid?

Will stood, nearly knocking his desk over and stormed out of his room. He shoved his way through the maids and guards scurrying through the palace halls. He ignored the people who angrily shouted at him as he pushed them away.

Without knocking, Will burst into Ebony's room. The maids gave him sour looks and Ebony raised her brows questioningly.

"A word?" Will growled through his teeth.

Ebony nodded and shooed the ladies away. Once the room had cleared out, Will handed the paper to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Read it."

As Ebony scanned the paper, her face paled. She looked up at Will.

"She's doomed herself," Will said before Ebony could speak.

"Surely this cannot be? Elaina would never be that foolish!" Ebony exclaimed.

Will pressed his finger to his lips. "No so loud," he hissed.

Ebony nodded and kept her voice to a whisper. "Why would she leave the prince's ship? Do you think something happened to her?"

Will shrugged. He had no idea what to think. Anything could have happened. She was with a bunch of Fire Nation scoundrels. Will cringed. Suddenly the idea of Elaina being miles from home with a bunch of men made him worried.

"Do you think this was a bad idea?" Will asked.

Ebony shook her head. "If I thought it was a bad idea, I never would have sent her there. Besides, I knew she would be in good hands. General Iroh is on that ship."

"So?" Will asked.

"I met General Iroh once—a long time ago, back when Garrett and Perdita were very young. Iroh was one of the wisest, most thoughtful men I have ever met. If he's with Elaina, I know she's okay."

Will frowned. "But she's not with them anymore, Ebony. What are we supposed to do?"

Before she could answer, someone knocked on the door. Garrett poked his head in and the two sighed in relief. Garrett nodded at Will when he saw him.

"I best be going," Will said quietly.

Ebony nodded. Will left and the door was slammed behind him. He paused when he heard heated whispers behind the door.

Will sighed. Elaina was making this mission a lot more difficult.

Snow was heavily falling as Zuko and his men searched the woods for the Avatar. They only had a few hours until sunset; then their mission would be truly impossible. The rhinos were already useless in the snow and no doubt it would be difficult for them to find their way in the dark.

Their guide to the Avatar had been the trees. The tops of the large pines were either completely gone or hanging on by a twig. Zuko assumed it had been a rough landing.

"Look, sir!" Zuko followed Akeno's pointed finger. A short distance away, campfire smoke was rising above the trees. Zuko grinned; the Avatar was making this all too easy.

Zuko dismounted his rhino and tied it to a tree. "We'll attack them on foot."

The other men followed him. As one group, they silently made their way towards the smoke. After a short walk, they found the fire along with a small, hooded figure with their back to them.

The men looked to Zuko. Slowly, Zuko put one finger up, then two, then three. They charged, surprising the hooded figure.

Zuko stopped once he got a good look at their face. "Oh, it's _you_," he said in disappointment.

The men relaxed once they saw it was just Elaina. She scowled at the prince. "Nice to see you too."

"What are you doing here?"

"Making a living," she said sarcastically.

"Aren't you hilarious," Zuko spat.

Elaina stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that why you're here? To give me a good scare and bother me?"

"I wouldn't waste my time with you. I have better things to be doing," Zuko replied.

The men stood there awkwardly as the two continued to bicker. Shen rolled his eyes in annoyance. Akeno tried to intervene.

"Sir, shouldn't we—"

"Not now," Zuko growled at him. He turned back to Elaina. "I was a fool for ever thinking you could help me."

"Oh really?" Elaina said haughtily. "Because last time I checked, I've accomplished more in the last few weeks than you have in three years!"

Zuko stomped his foot on the ground. "You little peasant!"

Before she could reply, everyone was startled by a loud commotion. They heard the rhinos roaring and screaming.

"What now?" Zuko asked in annoyance.

He jogged back to where he had left them, the men following close behind. Their screams grew louder. As he got closer, there was a stench in the air, like rotten carcasses. Zuko covered his nose with his sleeve. Behind him, he heard someone stop abruptly.

"Wait!" he heard Elaina cry. "Don't go out there!"

But it was too late. Zuko and his men were horrified by the scene. The animals had gotten loose and were on their hind legs, screaming in terror. On the ground, two of them lay dead, their insides spilling out on the ground. Standing over them, a huge beast tore them apart. When the beast heard them approach, its head snapped back to look at them, red eyes boring into their skulls.

Without warning, it jumped at them. Zuko and Akeno released fire on the beast. The animal dodged their attack and landed in front of them, bearing its razor-like teeth. They sent more attacks and it dodged them again and again. Abruptly the animal stopped and lifted its nose in the air, sniffing. It looked around and saw Elaina standing behind the men, frozen in terror. The creature roared and galloped towards her.

Zuko ran for it, unleashing a massive attack. This time he managed to scorch one of its hind legs. It roared in pain and stumbled. Before any more attacks could be unleashed, the beast changed direction and disappeared into the forest.

The rhinos were still screaming and stomping the ground. The men tried to control them, speaking soothingly to the animals.

"Should we go after it?" one of the men asked Zuko.

Zuko, whose eyes were still glued to where it had disappeared, shook his head. "No. We cannot afford any more losses. We're going back to the ship."

"And what about the dead ones?"

"Just leave them."

The men nodded and finally managed to get the remaining animals under control. They mounted, some rhinos with three men, and headed back to the ship.

Zuko and his rhino stayed behind. He walked over to Elaina, who was sitting on the ground, still in shock.

"Come on," Zuko said. Wordlessly, she stood and got on the rhino.

Once they were following the men, Elaina spoke. "This doesn't mean you're taking me back, does it?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, but I'm not leaving you out here with that thing. I'll drop you off at the next stop."

Elaina nodded and stared ahead. They didn't speak again until the ship was in sight.

"That thing…it attacked you, didn't it?" Zuko asked.

Elaina was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, that was it."

"It's hunting you," Zuko said slowly.

"I know," Elaina murmured softly.

Zuko shook his head in disbelief. "I wonder why…"

As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew where it was coming from. Good old King Alir was looking for her.

It was only a matter of time until it got her.

**A/N: Read and review! I'll try to have Chapter 13 up as soon as possible. **


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